Alcohol-Induced Effects on Tissue Injury and Repair (R21) | PA 17 296

FAQs: Alcohol-Induced Effects on Tissue Injury and Repair (R21) (PA 17-296)

What is the Alcohol-Induced Effects on Tissue Injury and Repair (R21) funding opportunity?

It is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant opportunity announced by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) focused on research that clarifies how alcohol use influences biological processes involved in tissue injury and the body's ability to repair and heal.

What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FOA number)?

The Funding Opportunity Number is PA 17-296.

Which NIH institute is sponsoring this announcement?

This opportunity is from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

What grant mechanism does this FOA use?

It uses the Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant mechanism (R21).

What is the purpose of an R21 mechanism in this context?

The R21 is intended to support early-stage, high-impact projects that are still in a formative phase and need targeted funding to generate foundational data, test a novel idea, or establish feasibility for a larger future study.

What is the overall scientific purpose of this FOA?

The purpose is to spur research that clarifies how alcohol use influences the biological processes that drive tissue damage and the body's ability to heal, with an emphasis on molecular and cellular mechanisms in humans and on integrative approaches that connect findings across tissues, pathways, and organ systems.

What types of alcohol-related health effects is NIAAA emphasizing here?

The FOA emphasizes that excessive alcohol consumption can harm many organs and physiological systems, not just the liver, and may reduce the body's capacity to recover after trauma by interfering with normal injury response and repair programs.

Which organs and systems are specifically highlighted in the announcement?

The announcement highlights adverse effects across the liver, brain, heart, pancreas, lung, kidney, endocrine and immune systems, as well as bone and skeletal muscle.

What injury and repair processes does the FOA mention as potentially affected by alcohol?

The FOA points to potential interference with processes such as inflammation resolution, regeneration, extracellular matrix remodeling, angiogenesis, and immune defense.

Is the FOA focused only on heavy/excessive alcohol use?

No. While excessive alcohol consumption is a major focus, the FOA explicitly welcomes research on the molecular and cellular actions of moderate alcohol consumption as well, reflecting interest in dose-dependent effects and potentially distinct biological signatures associated with different drinking patterns.

Does this FOA encourage integrative research across tissues and organ systems?

Yes. NIAAA is particularly interested in integrative research that connects findings across tissues, pathways, and organ systems to understand how alcohol disrupts injury and repair biology.

What does the FOA mean by "common" versus "organ-specific" repair mechanisms?

The FOA highlights interest in disentangling whether alcohol disrupts shared repair mechanisms across organs (for example, immune signaling, oxidative stress responses, or mitochondrial function) versus mechanisms that are organ-specific (for example, distinct resident cell populations or unique regenerative niches).

Are stem cells and regeneration within scope for this opportunity?

Yes. The announcement encourages studying alcohol's effects on stem cells, embryonic development, and regeneration, including how alcohol exposure may alter stem or progenitor cell function, differentiation capacity, and tissue renewal.

Is embryonic development research considered relevant under this FOA?

Yes. The FOA invites projects that examine developmental contexts where injury and repair processes can have lifelong consequences and how alcohol exposure may influence those processes.

What kinds of research questions fit this FOA based on the description?

Examples consistent with the description include questions about how varying alcohol exposure levels influence cell signaling, immune responses, wound healing dynamics, regenerative potential, and molecular/cellular mechanisms that link injury to impaired repair across organs.

Is the research expected to be translational or clinically relevant?

Yes. Although mechanistic at its core, the FOA is framed around outcomes that matter clinically, such as reduced resilience after trauma, persistent inflammation, delayed tissue repair, and progression to chronic organ dysfunction, with the broader goal of enabling improved prognosis/diagnosis and interventions.

What types of deliverables or downstream impacts does the FOA suggest?

The FOA suggests that identifying underlying mechanisms could support improved prognosis and diagnosis (for example, biomarkers of impaired repair) and inform interventions and treatments that prevent alcohol-related organ damage or enhance recovery after injury in people who drink.

What is the CFDA number for this grant opportunity?

The CFDA number listed is 93.273.

What is the award ceiling listed for this opportunity?

The award ceiling listed is $200,000.

When was this opportunity originally posted?

It was originally posted on 2017-05-25.

What is the original closing date listed in the description?

The original closing date listed is 2020-09-07.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations, spanning government entities, educational institutions, nonprofits, for-profits (including small businesses), tribal entities, eligible federal agencies, and foreign organizations.

Are state, county, and local governments eligible?

Yes. State, county, and local governments are included among eligible applicants.

Are tribal governments and tribal organizations eligible?

Yes. Federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations are listed as eligible applicants.

Are universities and colleges eligible to apply?

Yes. Public and private institutions of higher education are eligible, and the FOA also calls out several institution types such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic-serving Institutions.

Are nonprofits eligible, including those without 501(c)(3) status?

Yes. Nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status are included among eligible applicants.

Are for-profit organizations eligible to apply?

Yes. For-profit organizations, including small businesses, are listed as eligible.

Are foreign (non-U.S.) organizations eligible?

Yes. Foreign (non-U.S.) organizations are explicitly listed as eligible.

Are faith-based and community-based organizations eligible?

Yes. The announcement calls out faith-based and community-based organizations among additional eligible applicant categories.

Are U.S. territories or possessions included in eligibility?

Yes. U.S. territories or possessions are mentioned among the additional eligible applicant categories.

Does the FOA aim to attract diverse research teams and organizational types?

Yes. The stated design is to pull in diverse research teams and institutional contexts to accelerate discovery on how alcohol changes the biology of injury, repair, and regeneration across the body.