Methods Development for Cryogenic or Other Long-term Preservation and Revival of Drosophila and Zebrafish Genetic Stocks (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 19 176

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 19 176

The NIH funding opportunity PAR-19-176 is an R21 exploratory grant focused on solving a practical, widely felt problem in biomedical research: how to reliably preserve and later revive valuable genetic stocks of Drosophila (fruit fly) and zebrafish over the long term. These two organisms are core laboratory models used to study genetics, development, neuroscience, disease mechanisms, and drug discovery, and many labs and stock centers maintain large collections of wild-type and mutant strains. Keeping these lines continuously alive is expensive and labor-intensive, and it also carries risk of loss from accidents, disease, facility failures, genetic drift, or simple handling errors. The FOA is aimed at early-stage, proof-of-concept work that can close key knowledge and technology gaps and lead toward dependable preservation methods that are not only scientifically sound, but also straightforward to implement and cost effective enough to be widely adopted.

The scientific emphasis is on methods development for cryogenic preservation or other long-term storage approaches, paired with practical revival strategies that consistently return viable, useful animals. Applicants are expected to define the specific bottlenecks preventing routine long-term preservation of these species and propose innovative ways to overcome them, whether those bottlenecks are biological (for example, stage-specific sensitivity to freezing, toxicity of cryoprotectants, or low post-thaw survival and fertility), technical (freezing/thawing protocols, handling workflows, contamination control), or operational (repeatability, training burden, and cost). The opportunity explicitly covers both wild-type and mutant strains, reflecting the reality that preservation methods must work across a wide range of genotypes and phenotypes, including lines that may be fragile or have reduced fitness.

Because this is an R21, the program is geared toward exploratory, high-impact ideas rather than fully mature systems ready for immediate scale-up. A strong application would typically lay out a clear plan to generate convincing feasibility data, identify measurable performance benchmarks (such as survival, developmental normality, fertility, and genetic integrity after revival), and show a path toward a protocol that can be standardized and transferred to other labs or stock repositories. The intent is not just to demonstrate that preservation is possible in a narrow scenario, but to move the field toward robust, reproducible, user-friendly solutions that reduce the need for continuous live maintenance and lower the risk of losing irreplaceable genetic resources.

Administratively, this is a discretionary NIH grant in the health funding category, using the R21 mechanism, and it is explicitly labeled "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning the work must be preclinical and method-focused rather than involving clinical testing in humans. The listed award ceiling is $200,000, reflecting the smaller, exploratory nature of the R21 mechanism. The FOA is associated with CFDA numbers 93.351 and 93.859 and was created on January 29, 2019, with an original closing date shown as May 7, 2022.

Eligibility is broad and includes many U.S.-based organization types: state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and Native American tribal governments and organizations, including federally recognized tribal governments and other than federally recognized tribal organizations. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), along with faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, there are important limits on foreign participation. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed, which typically means U.S. applicant organizations may include certain types of international collaborations or activities when they are well-justified and meet NIH policy requirements.

Overall, the opportunity is designed to push the field toward practical preservation and revival methods that can safeguard essential Drosophila and zebrafish genetic resources. The long-term payoff NIH is aiming for is better continuity and reproducibility in biomedical research, reduced costs and workload for laboratories and stock centers, and stronger protection against catastrophic loss of unique genetic lines that underpin many areas of modern life-science research.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Methods Development for Cryogenic or Other Long-term Preservation and Revival of Drosophila and Zebrafish Genetic Stocks (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.351, 93.859.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-01-29.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-05-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for PAR 19 176

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