Audacious Goals Initiative High Priority Research Area: Intersection of Aging and Biological Mechanisms of Eye Disease (R01)

Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number	PA-13-332
Companion Funding Opportunity	PA-13-283, R01 Research Project Grant
Number of Applications	See Section III. 3. Additional Information on Eligibility.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s)	93.866, 92.867
Funding Opportunity Purpose	The NEI Audacious Goals Initiative (http://www.nei.nih.gov/audacious/) identified as a high programmatic priority understanding the intersection of aging and the biological mechanisms of eye disease.  In addition, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) continues its support for research at the interface of aging and the visual system. The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the National Eye Institute (NEI) is to encourage submission of new, innovative projects directed to exploring this area through:  1) understanding how the biology of aging contributes to disease; 2) evaluating how the failure of homeostatic processes causes or allows the transition from aging to early disease; 3) defining the biological staging of disease to understand pathophysiology, identify biomarkers, and explore therapy; and 4) distinguishing normal ocular changes associated with aging from pathophysiologic changes.  Advanced age is a risk factor for many of the leading causes of vision loss, including age-related macular degeneration, cataract, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, dry eye syndrome, and presbyopia.  Better knowledge of the biological mechanisms of disease will lead to new strategies to prevent or delay progress of these age-related blinding conditions.  An application may propose design-directed, developmental, discovery-driven, or hypothesis-driven research.  It is appropriate to propose small, multidisciplinary teams applying an integrative approach to solve these problems. The purpose of this FOA for the NIA is to encourage research projects that will:  1) investigate the diverse cellular, molecular, genetic, and neural circuitry mechanisms underlying age-related changes in the eye; 2) ascertain the impact of age-related changes in the eye on the progression of visual function as well as associated brain or behavioral functions for the aged and the utility of such changes as early biomarkers for pathological processes for the aged; and 3) identify and evaluate interventions that will modify age-related changes to alter the course of pathological development.

Key Dates

Posted Date	August 13, 2013
Open Date (Earliest Submission Date)	January 5, 2014
Letter of Intent Due Date(s)	Not Applicable
Application Due Date(s)	Standard dates apply, by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.
AIDS Application Due Date(s)	Standard AIDS dates apply by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.