The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to establish state-of-the-art Tissue Mapping Centers (TMCs) within the Cellular Senescence Network (SenNet) to build an atlas of cellular senescence in mice. The overarching goal of the SenNet consortium is to identify and functionally characterize, at single-cell resolution, the heterogeneity of senescent cells across multiple human tissues in health and lifespan. A previous FOA (RFA-RM-21-008) established the TMCs to generate data and build maps in humans. The purpose of this FOA is to solicit applications that complement the human effort by generating an atlas of cell senescence in mice that will help inform the ongoing effort in humans and serve as a blueprint for future translational research performed in mice. Through collaborative efforts, the murine component of the consortium will generate a multimodal, multidimensional atlas of senescent cells in various murine tissues (tissue choices will be predominantly dictated by the corresponding human tissues already in use within the SenNet consortium); develop innovative tools and technologies to identify and characterize senescent cells; and aggregate data across the Network into a searchable atlas of murine Cellular Senescence. The TMCs solicited through this RFA will create high-resolution, high-content, multiscale biomarkers and maps of cellular senescence across the murine lifespan, to generate a murine-specific companion to the human Senescence atlas. The mouse component of the SenNet consortium will initially focus on healthy murine tissues (modified disease models are not allowed) derived from both inbred and outbred mouse strains that are commonly used and have demonstrated value in pre-clinical research. TMCs will be expected to integrate and optimize all parts of the data generation pipeline, from tissue collection and preservation through analyses at organ-, tissue- and single-cell- level using omics, imaging and other approaches, to data integration, analysis and interpretation.
Two companion FOAs (RFA RM-22-004 and RFA RM-22-005) are soliciting additional Technology Development Projects. All grants are expected to collaborate and work together as part of the larger SenNet consortium, coordinated by the current CODCC.
Deadlines:
Letter of Intent Due Date(s): Dec. 20, 2021
Application Due Date(s): Jan. 19, 2022
RFA-RM-22-003 Expiration Date January 20, 2022
Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support. SenNet especially encourages applications from individuals who are not already funded either as Contact PD/PI or as MPI in previously issued SenNet RFAs.
