NICHD Priorities for the SBIR/STTR Programs

CDBB encourages innovative, developmentally sensitive, theoretically grounded, evidence-based small business initiatives that develop technology and products addressing the psychological, social and emotional, psychobiological, language, numerical, literacy, cognitive, and intellectual development and health of persons from infancy through the transition to adulthood, recognizing the important role others have in contributing to the healthy development of an individual. Products that target at-risk populations and/or exploit new technologies that can expand the effective reach or inclusion of underserved populations to encourage healthy development and/or our understanding of the influences of context and/or behavior on development are especially encouraged. CDBB is also interested in research on innovative approaches to both imaging and other non-invasive measurement approaches to capture real-time brain activation activity in typical and atypical infants and young children (birth to age 3).

Foci of specific interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Enhancing bilingual and biliteracy development: Develop adaptive learning technology to enhance bilingual and/or biliteracy development in English-language learning children and youth
• Measures of neurodevelopment: Develop easy-to-administer neurodevelopmental measures from evidence-based neurocognitive research specific to typically developing infants and toddlers that are shown to correlate with development of brain connectivity and activation
• Pediatric primary care behavioral and health promotion interventions: Facilitate research on the impact of behavioral and health promotion interventions in pediatric primary care and related clinical settings with a focus on child and adolescent health outcomes
• Psychosocial adjustment for individuals in high-risk environments: Develop measures to identify and tools to stimulate developmental factors and mechanisms that promote short- and long-term psychosocial adjustment for children and adolescents exposed to high-risk family and neighborhood environments
• School readiness skills in economically and socially disadvantaged children: Develop mobile device apps and/or hand-held devices that assess and/or promote the development of executive functioning and school readiness skills and abilities in infancy and early childhood and in diverse populations of children as well as measures of home, child care, and preschool environments and practices that are related to child learning and development
• Learners struggling with reading, writing, and mathematics: Develop assistive technology to enhance learner outcomes for individuals that struggle to acquire literacy and numeracy skills
• Assessment and enhancement of reasoning development: Develop validated and specific assessment tools that are sensitive to contributing factors (e.g., biobehavioral, environmental, cultural, academic, and cognitive factors) to facilitate research on and the promotion of neurocognitive development of reasoning (e.g., quantitative, deductive, inductive, causal) in typically developing populations
• Fostering inclusion of typically developing or at-risk infants, toddlers, and children in neuroimaging activities: Develop products or new strategies to facilitate these inclusion efforts

CDBB Small Business Program Director
Email: NICHDCDBB-SB-Program@mail.nih.gov

CRB supports research on developing new and improved methods of fertility regulation as well as research on the benefits and risks of contraceptive drugs, devices, and surgical procedures. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Development of new and improved methods of fertility regulation for men and women that are safe, effective, inexpensive, reversible, and acceptable, with priority given to nonhormonal and on-demand methods
• Synthesis and testing of novel chemical compounds that are potential contraceptives
• Multipurpose technologies designed to prevent sexually transmitted infections, such as HIV, as well as pregnancy

Program Officer:
Dr. Steven Kaufman

DBCAB supports biomedical research on the cellular, molecular, and genetic aspects of typical and atypical embryonic development, including early embryogenesis and organogenesis as well as topics in stem cell and regenerative biology. The overall goal is to promote research on developmental biology to understand the causes of structural congenital anomalies.

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Development of new model systems (animal or other) to study developmental mechanisms and causes of structural congenital anomalies
• Innovative technologies for in vivo imaging of developmental processes (cell and tissue dynamics) and gene expression
• Development of antibodies, novel ligands, and other probes to facilitate our understanding of typical and atypical embryonic development in model organisms
• Technologies for quantitative measurement of physical properties of cells/tissues in vivo during development
• Innovative technologies for studying metabolomics in developing vertebrate embryos
• Technologies to facilitate and advance systems biology approaches to the study of embryonic development and structural congenital anomalies
• Technologies to facilitate and advance high throughput chemical screening (including small molecules) for advancing structural congenital anomalies research
• Software development to facilitate the collection and analyses of data generated using medium to high throughput screening platforms in model systems (model organisms, cell-based models)
• Software development to facilitate the collection, mining, and analyses of genomic and phenotypic data from children affected with structural congenital anomalies, and cross-analysis with model organism data
• Development of user-friendly software for biomedical researchers with limited knowledge of computational biology to analyze large-scale human and other datasets associated with structural congenital anomalies
• Technologies/methodologies to generate and software to mine data related to wound healing and regenerative responses across animal species
• Novel reagents for activation and mobilization of endogenous/adult stem cells to promote in vivo tissue regeneration
• Technologies for iPSC-based regenerative medicine in the context of structural birth defect
• Screening technologies for small molecules in human Embryonic Stem Cells or Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) and disease specific iPSCs for targeted modification of regulatory networks affected in structural congenital anomalies

Program Officer:
Dr. Mahua Mukhopadhyay

FIB supports research on the reproductive processes of men and women and of animals with similar reproductive systems related to developing safer and more effective means of regulating, preserving, or achieving fertility.

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Development of reagents and tools such as high-resolution technologies to facilitate study of reproductive and developmental processes, including gamete and early embryo development, and reproductive tract development
• Development of techniques and identification of novel biomarkers to produce, identify, and use healthy gametes as well as advancement on preservation of human gametes
• Development of organoid cultures and physiomimetic systems ideal for study of gametogenesis and normal or diseased reproductive tissues/organs
• Development of improved methods of growing and differentiating stem cell lines in vitro, including feeder cell-free approaches to facilitate reproductive research
• Development of improved technologies for the reprogramming of cells, including embryonic stem cells or adult cells, into eggs and sperm
• Development of improved technologies for preimplantation genetic diagnosis
• Development of genomic, epigenomic, or proteomic technologies to diagnose impairments in sperm function, fertilization, ovulation, implantation, decidualization and other aspects of reproductive processes
• Use of genomics and proteomics to develop novel diagnostics and treatments for reproductive diseases and disorders
• Development of novel assays, kits, and devices to monitor and treat infertility
• Development of innovative technologies for point-of-care testing for fertility/infertility and reproductive diseases and disorders
• Development of tools, technologies, or applications for diagnosis and treatment of infertility in resource-limited settings to increase community and individual resources to address infertility
• Development of tissue-engineering technologies for uterine tissue regeneration and reproductive tract reconstruction for treatment of infertility

Program Officer:
Dr. Clara Cheng

GHDB supports biomedical research related to gynecologic health throughout the reproductive lifespan, beginning at puberty and extending through early menopause.

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Development of new diagnostic approaches and treatments for female pelvic floor disorders, including drugs, and devices used for treatment of pelvic organ prolapse, urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, and other female pelvic floor disorders
• Development of new diagnostic methods and novel surgical and non-surgical treatments for uterine fibroids, endometriosis, adenomyosis, and benign ovarian cysts
• Production of marketable novel or improved methods, devices, and technologies for the diagnosis, monitoring and therapy of gynecologic pain disorders including chronic pelvic pain, vulvodynia/vestibulodynia, and dysmenorrhea
• Generation of new approaches for the diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of abnormal menstrual cyclicity
• Surgical and non-surgical treatments for girls and women with reproductive tract abnormalities, including congenital structural abnormalities and complications from female genital cutting
• Devices and/or technologies designed to address surgical challenges in gynecologic surgeries, including hysterectomy
• Technologies designed to apply -omics platforms (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, etc.) to questions of gynecologic health and disease

Program Officer:
Dr. Candace Tingen

IDDB sponsors research aimed at preventing, diagnosing, and ameliorating intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Emphasis is on studies related to IDD, including common and rare neurodevelopmental and neuromuscular disorders such as autism spectrum disorders; Down, Fragile X, and Rett syndromes; mitochondrial conditions; inborn errors of metabolism; and others.

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Innovative tools, including molecular, imaging, statistical, or behavioral tools, to characterize the etiology and pathophysiology of abnormal nervous system development
• Methods and devices to delineate genetic, genomic, and epigenetic causes of IDD and develop gene-based treatments
• Methods or devices designed to screen for, diagnose, treat, and manage IDD and other conditions, particularly those identified or identifiable by newborn screening
• Assessment tools for use in the clinic or community settings to enable the accurate measurement of change in response to interventions
• Development of early interventions leading toward the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management of IDD
• Methods or devices to develop or adapt smart technologies, such as wearable devices, mobile health applications, and electronic medical records-based tools, to assist in remote health monitoring, serve as point-of-care diagnostic tools, and/or enhance screening, diagnosis, prevention, treatment, or management for individuals with IDD to improve their quality of life
• Development of assessment measures or treatments for comorbid symptoms in those with IDD including disordered sleep, self-injurious behaviors, obesity, gastrointestinal dysfunction, seizures/epilepsy, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, depression, psychosis, immune dysregulation, self-injurious behaviors, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and other mental health disorders
• Innovative and new digital technologies and mHealth solutions for improving transition of adolescents to adult health care providers by improving health literacy, enabling self-management, and encouraging adherence to existing treatments among adolescents
• Methods and devices to facilitate inclusion of people with all levels of IDD in research and clinical care targeted both toward IDD populations and for more general populations where people with IDD are typically categorically excluded

Program Officer:
Dr. Sujata Bardhan

MPIDB supports domestic and international research on HIV and AIDS and related infections (such as cytomegalovirus (CMV), syphilis, tuberculosis (TB), hepatitis, and malaria) in people of childbearing age, pregnant people, mothers, fetuses, infants, children, and adolescents. Specific areas of interest include, but are not limited to, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, immune-pathology, pathogenesis, transmission, treatment and prevention (including immune-therapeutics like monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, and other biomedical modalities) of HIV acquisition, SARS-CoV-2, and other pertinent infectious diseases in children, adolescents, and pregnant people. This includes prevention of perinatal transmission of HIV and other congenital infections, and HIV-related and other infectious disease-related complications in these populations.

Additional areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• New technologies relevant to resource-limited countries for:
  • Screening, diagnosis, and management of infectious diseases in pregnant people, infants, and children, including but not limited to HIV (e.g., SARS-CoV-2, congenital CMV, congenital syphilis, TB, and Zika virus)
  • Rapid assays to monitor disease activity and response to therapy as well as immune response to vaccinations against relevant infections in infants and children (e.g., malaria, TB), which can be used at the individual level and/or as part of public health campaigns (e.g., eradication of outbreaks and prevention of spread)
  • Diagnosis and treatment of HIV-related comorbidities (e.g., diagnosis of TB)
  • Diagnosis and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection-related outcomes in mothers and infants
  • Simple and less technologically demanding point-of-care assays to monitor CD4 cell percentage/count, HIV viral load, or other surrogate markers of HIV disease progression
  • Simple and easy-to-use/at-home-use diagnostics and point-of-care assays to monitor clinical symptomatology and prognosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and recovery in children
  • Interventions designed to promote or optimize medication adherence
• Child-friendly formulations (preferably not liquid preparations) of drugs used to treat or prevent HIV infection, complications of HIV infection, and/or other high-priority infections, such as TB, hepatitis, syphilis, CMV, and malaria relevant to children, particularly in resource-limited countries; fixed-dose drug formulations and innovative methodologies for development of solid heat-stable formulations capable of being administered to young children (e.g., sustained release beads, etc.) and/or improve pill or volume burden
• Innovative long-lasting drug formulations for antiretroviral and other anti-infective drugs that would allow less frequent drug administration (e.g., once daily, weekly, or monthly)
• Simple, standardized, validated tools to evaluate neurodevelopmental outcomes in children in resource-limited settings
• Innovative data collection and database development approaches to leverage and link electronic medical records and/or other health information systems to better understand treatment and prevention of infectious diseases among infants, children, adolescents, and people of child-bearing age
• Biomedical modalities, including vaccines and methods to assess efficacy of vaccines, to prevent acquisition of HIV and other infectious diseases in children, adolescents, and women
• Topical microbicide agents and wearable, implantable, or insertable devices releasing medications, alone or as part of multipurpose prevention technologies, to prevent sexual acquisition of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections in adolescents, adult women, and pregnant or postpartum people
• New, non-invasive technologies to evaluate complications of antiretroviral drugs (e.g., mitochondrial toxicity, bone toxicity) in HIV-infected infants, children, adolescents, pregnant people, and their fetuses
• New technologies or improvements to existing technologies for measuring the HIV latent reservoir, or other long-term effects of infectious diseases, including high-throughput, visualization algorithms, and improvement in assay reliability and sensitivity in children

Program Officer:
Dr. Sai Majji

OPPTB supports research and training on the development and use of safe and effective therapeutic drugs and therapeutic-related medical devices for children and pregnant and lactating people, including during the postpartum period. The branch promotes basic, translational, and clinical research to improve the safety and efficacy of therapeutics, primarily pharmaceutical drugs and medical devices. It is responsible for developing and supporting a comprehensive national effort to increase the knowledge base for understanding how to treat disease appropriately during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence using evidence-based therapeutic approaches. This includes support for the development and validation of devices to inform treatment decisions and enhance precision drug delivery. The goal of these efforts is to ensure that medications are appropriately tested for dosing, safety, and effectiveness for individuals within their target populations.

Applications to advance the study of obstetric and pediatric therapeutics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Understanding differences and heterogeneity in pediatric disease treatment: Research to quantitatively understand differences in drug action and related pathophysiology between childhood and adult disease and conditions unique to pediatrics. This includes developing tools (e.g., biomarkers, outcome measures, and physiologically based pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic models) to support pediatric drug discovery and development and to facilitate the application of precision medicine approaches in children.
• Pharmacology and pathophysiology of pregnancy: Developmental pharmacology research and approaches that explore the intersections of physiological changes in pregnant people and during fetal development with drug action (e.g., pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacogenomics) and with molecular pathways that may serve as novel therapeutic targets for disease-modifying therapies specific to these populations. Critical areas include pain management in pregnant and lactating people and treatment of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and prevention of preterm delivery.
• Novel alternatives to traditional pediatric and obstetric clinical trials: Development of innovative approaches and algorithms to determine drug dosing, safety, and effectiveness in children and in pregnant and lactating people. This includes artificial intelligence (AI)-driven modeling and simulation methods, novel approaches to utilizing existing data and archived biosamples/biospecimens, and pragmatic trials.
• Population- and individual-specific diagnostic and therapeutic devices that can advance precision medicine through individualized diagnosis, drug delivery, and non-drug therapy appropriate for use in neonates, children, and pregnant and lactating people. This may include 3D bioprinting, AI-enhanced pharmacometrics modeling, AI-driven diagnostic and decision-making tools, novel drug delivery devices, and formulations.
• New uses for drugs, biologics, and other therapeutics: This includes the development and use of preclinical experimental models (e.g., animal models and human biomimetics), use of organotypic microphysiologic cell culture systems and strategies for assessing pharmacologic and toxicologic effects of therapeutics, use of genetically diverse model organisms to assess precision prescribing approaches for interindividual manifestation of disease or response to therapeutic agents, and computation models or the accumulation of real-world evidence in support of new therapeutic uses.

Program Officer:
Dr. Antonello Pileggi

PGNB supports research designed to support short- and long-term health so children can achieve their full potential through an expanded understanding of factors that influence metabolism, growth (body composition and linear growth), and neurodevelopment. Additional focus includes biological (e.g., genetic, nutritional, endocrinological) factors that contribute the early life origins of non-communicable disease (e.g., obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis). PGNB encourages research that focuses on detecting the biological antecedents of these conditions during pregnancy, infancy, and childhood.

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• New research tools, improved measurement methods, and technologies that enhance our understanding of:
  • Growth:
    • Physical growth, body composition, bone health, nutrition, and obesity
    • Determinants of normal bone mineral accretion and peak bone mass. Interactions of muscle and bone during infancy and childhood
    • Neuroendocrinology of puberty, linear growth, body composition
    • Mechanisms of hormone action during linear growth, pubertal maturation, and other aspects of physical development
  • Biological antecedents of childhood obesity and its short- and long-term consequences:
    • Genetic and molecular mechanisms of obesity, psychosocial risks of obesity, and therapeutic interventions for obesity in children and adolescents
    • Effect of early life exposures including infant feeding practices on short- and long-term health and development
  • Biology of nutrition as it pertains to health and development (physical and neurological function) during pregnancy, infancy, and childhood including discovery, development, and deployment of biomarkers for early detection of:
    • Mal-(over-/under) nutrition including biomarkers of exposure, status, function, and effect (i.e., effect on early life development including neurodevelopment)
    • Enhanced understanding of the role of human milk in child health and development.
    • Maternal nutrition (pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, and lactation)
    • Novel approaches to enhanced infant feeding practices in term and pre-term infants
  • Developmental origins of health and disease including:
    • Ascertainment of biomarkers early in life that predict the onset of chronic diseases such as diabetes, osteoporosis, and the metabolic syndrome later in life. PGNB emphasizes the life course model to develop primary preventive approaches to chronic diseases
    • Development of platforms for implementation of biomarkers of disease status, nutritional status, and biological function from infancy through adolescence

Program Officer:
Dr. Karen Winer

PTCIB supports research and research training in pediatric trauma, injury prevention, and critical illness across the continuum of care. These efforts include:

• Prevention, treatment, and management of physical and psychological trauma and the surgical, medical, psychosocial, and systems interventions needed to improve outcomes for critically ill and injured children and youth
• Studies along the continuum of psychosocial, behavioral, biological, and physiological influences that affect child health outcomes in trauma, injury, and critical care
• Basic, clinical, and translational studies that explore short- and long-term consequences of such traumatic experiences as exposure to natural or man-made disasters, all forms of violence against children, and experiences of bereavement, grief, and loss
• Research linking the science of pediatric emergency and critical care medicine to the epidemiology, prevention, and treatment of trauma and injury in infants, children, and adolescents

Applications of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Technologies, devices, and equipment used by emergency and trauma care personnel as well as pediatric critical care personnel
• Novel strategies or approaches in caring for injured children prior to and during transport to treatment settings
• Tools and technologies for screening and determination of the nature of and extent of injuries related to forms of child maltreatment
• Devices and innovative therapeutic technologies for management of medical conditions and related problems stemming from critical illness and serious or life-threatening injuries
• Preventive intervention tools, materials, and technologies designed to improve clinical practice, parenting, and social system support for injured children or traumatized children
• Preventive intervention tools, materials, and technologies designed to reduce pediatric trauma exposure and the number and severity of pediatric injuries and deaths
• Tools and technologies to improve the environment of pediatric intensive care including resources to promote patient safety and to enhance clinical education and training of critical care personnel
• Tools and technologies that support the diagnoses and treatment of critical illness in children, including nosocomial infections and iatrogenic injury

Program Officer:
Dr. Tessie October

PDB supports research and research training in: demography, reproductive health, and population health. In demography, the branch supports research on the scientific study of human populations, including fertility, mortality and morbidity, migration, population distribution, nuptiality, family demography, population growth and decline, and the causes and consequences of demographic change. In reproductive health, the branch supports behavioral and social science research on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), HIV and AIDS, family planning, and infertility. In population health, the branch supports data collection and research on human health, productivity, behavior, and development at the population level using methods such as inferential statistics, natural experiments, policy experiments, statistical modeling, and gene/environment interaction studies.

Applications are encouraged, but are not limited to, the following areas:

• Technological innovations or inventions to improve collection of biomarkers and anthropometric data in large population-representative surveys
• Hardware or software to improve the collection of accurate cause-of-death information or health diagnosis, such as information related to infant and maternal morbidity and mortality, in large population-representative surveys or in administrative datasets
• Methods for integrating data science, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, into demographic research
• Methods for improving the collection, documentation, archiving, linking, and dissemination of population representative datasets, especially datasets that are complex, multilevel, or multimodal
• Methods for protecting and ensuring confidentiality for human subjects when collecting, archiving, linking, or disseminating population-representative datasets, especially datasets that are longitudinal or that include both spatial and individual-level data
• Methods for reducing the costs of collecting, linking, and disseminating large population-representative datasets
• Development and dissemination of effective tools for prevention research and intervention programs related to STDs/HIV; pregnancy; contraceptive use; adolescent, young adult, and maternal mortality; child health; at-risk youth; and other health-related topics relevant to PDB science
• Innovative approaches and techniques for research design, measurement, and data analysis in the social and behavioral sciences, with attention to methodology and measurement issues related to protecting research subjects, archiving and disseminating complex datasets, and studying diverse populations and/or sensitive or confidential behaviors

Program Officer:
Dr. Ronna Popkin

PPB supports research in the following areas: the physiology of pregnancy and labor; high-risk pregnancies, including those with hypertensive disorders, diabetes, or seizure disorders; fetal pathophysiology; premature labor and birth; diagnostic, monitoring, and therapeutic devices and instruments for newborns in the nursery and in neonatal intensive care units (NICU); improvement of existing products or development of new products that would improve the routine and extended care of newborns; products and agents related to breastfeeding; hospital supplies specifically related to use in the care of newborns; nanotechnology and its application for the care of newborns; instruments and devices for assessing and monitoring the nursery environment (noise, lighting, and odor); disorders of the newborn; sudden infant death syndrome; and biological and behavioral antecedents of low birth weight.

The following topic areas are of high priority:

Neonatal/Perinatal

• Non-invasive (or minimally invasive) methods to assess preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, fetal well-being, spontaneous preterm birth, and stillbirth
• Methods to characterize the bioactive components of human milk
• Non-invasive methods to assess the structure and functions of the human placenta longitudinally, such as placental metabolism, placental perfusion, and analyte transfer from the mother to the fetus
• Devices, instruments, and tools to minimize bacterial colonization, reduce proclivity for thrombus formation, and reduce healthcare-associated infection risks
• Lab-on-a-chip, specifically, non- or minimally invasive approaches for assessing: metabolic profiles (e.g., glucose and lactate/pyruvate), ketone bodies, bilirubin (unconjugated, free, indirect, and total), and other major analytes (Na+ Ca+ Cl+ K+ etc.)
• Rapid methods for diagnosis of bacterial infections and the assessment of antibiotic sensitivity
• Improved syringes, needles, and injection set ups to help administer small doses of medications over prolonged periods (e.g., insulin for treating hyperglycemia)
• Methods to assess pain in the newborn, analgesia, and the evaluation of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome
• Non-invasive measures to assess brain energy utilization in the newborn, especially glucose, oxygen, lactate, ketones, and other energy substrates
• Improved devices and instruments for assisted ventilators for use in NICU

Program Officer:
Dr. Monica Longo

NCMRR supports innovative research on the restoration, replacement, enhancement, or adaptation of function for people with chronic physical disabilities. This includes rehabilitative approaches across etiologies and the lifespan as well as the environmental and policy factors that promote full participation. We encourage studies that integrate biomedical, engineering, and/or psychosocial approaches to develop practical and creative solutions to the daily functioning of people with disabilities and their families. The mission of NCMRR is to increase the effectiveness of medical rehabilitation practices through research. Learn more about the center’s specific program areas.

Examples may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Adaptation and plasticity: Develop non-invasive and surrogate measures of plasticity appropriate for use in a clinical setting to target rehabilitation therapies and monitor treatment effectiveness (e.g., biomarkers, imaging)
• Novel technology: Orthotics, prosthetics, and robotics devices and interfaces; assistive technologies; invasive and non-invasive biological sensors, prosthetic systems or implants to improve function; new control methods and improved sensory feedback; strategies for controlling and adapting to the environment; advanced wheelchair designs and enhancements and other mobility devices; biomaterials and tissue interfaces, nanotechnology, bionics
• Rehabilitation interventions: Development and use of robotics; gaming applications; virtual and augmented reality; simulations; m-health and other approaches to promote participation, understand and support healthy behaviors, reduce health disparities, and enhance clinical compliance, especially in children with physical disabilities
• Chronic symptom management: Methods to increase screening for chronic conditions or preventable secondary conditions in individuals with physical disability; prevention and treatment strategies for mitigating symptoms associated with multiple chronic conditions in individuals with physical impairments, including persistent pain, symptoms of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular deconditioning, fatigue, symptoms of overuse injuries, pressure ulcers, sleep disturbances, and depressive symptoms; improving muscle capacity in chronic physical disability to include therapeutic or adaptive exercise and muscle stimulation; muscle-disuse syndromes and contractures; rehabilitation interventions for improvement of physical disability and comorbid cognitive, sensory, or somatic consequences of impairment, disease or injury; autonomic function in the context of injury or specific conditions
• Rehabilitation in the community: Strategies to build or modify community and/or environmental resources that provide effective rehabilitation and health promotion services within the individual's own community; development of engineering, crowdsourcing, and social science approaches to promote, monitor, and sustain outcomes in real-world settings

Investigators proposing budgets that exceed the guidelines are encouraged to contact program staff 6 weeks prior to submitting the application.

Program Officer:
Dr. Toyin Ajisafe