Large Scale Integrated Mapping and Molecular Profiling of Cell Ensembles and/or Cell-Types Mediating Opioid Action in the Rodent Brain (R01 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA DA 23 035

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DA 23 035

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity RFA-DA-23-035 is an R01 research grant (clinical trial not allowed) focused on building a detailed, large-scale picture of the specific brain cells and cell groups in rodents that either produce opioids, respond to opioids, or become active across different phases of opioid exposure and use. The core idea is to move beyond broad brain-region descriptions and instead identify the actual cell types and cellular ensembles that drive opioid effects and opioid-related behaviors, including acute exposure, chronic exposure, withdrawal, abstinence, and relapse. Projects supported under this announcement are expected to contribute foundational knowledge that can later inform better mechanistic understanding of opioid-associated brain states.

A central emphasis of the FOA is on integrated, multimodal mapping at single-cell resolution. Applicants are encouraged to use scalable and innovative technologies that can inventory and register (meaning systematically identify and align) the relevant cells while also profiling them molecularly, typically through approaches that capture gene expression and related molecular signatures in individual cells. What makes this announcement distinctive is the expectation that molecular profiling should be integrated with other types of measurements collected from the same cells whenever possible. These additional modalities can include neural activity measurements (neurophysiology), connectivity information (how cells are wired into circuits), and spatial localization (where exactly the cells sit within brain structures). In practical terms, the FOA is pushing for datasets where a given cell can be described simultaneously by what it is molecularly, where it is, what it connects to, and how it behaves, rather than having those insights come from separate experiments that cannot be cleanly linked cell-by-cell.

The deliverable that matters most is not only discovery for a single lab, but the generation and dissemination of high-value reference datasets that can be used broadly by the neuroscience and addiction research communities. NIH is looking for resources that function like shared atlases or reference maps: multimodal datasets that other researchers can mine to test hypotheses, compare results across studies, and build a more unified biological framework for understanding opioid action and opioid-related states in the brain. The announcement frames these datasets as foundational infrastructure for the field, with the long-term payoff being clearer cellular and circuit-level targets for future mechanistic work and, eventually, translational progress.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant under the NIH, categorized under education and health (CFDA 93.279). The original closing date listed is 2023-02-02, and the posted award ceiling is $700,000. The FOA is open to a wide range of applicant types, including state and local governments, public and private institutions of higher education, independent school districts, special district governments, federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses. The eligible applicant pool is explicitly broad and also highlights additional eligible groups such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISI institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, HBCUs, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-U.S. (foreign) organizations and regional organizations, indicating NIH is willing to support strong teams wherever they are based as long as they can deliver the type of integrated, shareable science the program is designed to accelerate.

In short, this opportunity is designed to fund ambitious R01-scale efforts that combine cutting-edge single-cell molecular profiling with aligned measurements of activity, connectivity, and/or spatial position in the rodent brain, specifically to identify and characterize the cell types and ensembles that mediate opioid effects and opioid-use stages. The program is geared toward producing community-facing reference resources that help the entire field converge on a clearer cellular and circuit-level understanding of opioid-associated brain biology.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Large Scale Integrated Mapping and Molecular Profiling of Cell Ensembles and/or Cell-Types Mediating Opioid Action in the Rodent Brain (R01 - 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): 93.279.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-09-19.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-02-02. (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 $700,000.00 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 RFA DA 23 035

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