NHLBI Programs of Excellence in Nanotechnology

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), Office of Acquisitions (OA), will be seeking proposals from Programs of Excellence in Nanotechnology (PEN) contractors to develop and enhance nanotechnology-based tools and devices and use them to improve the diagnosis and treatment of heart, lung, and blood diseases. Each PEN contractor will integrate expertise in multiple disciplines (nanotechnology, physiology, clinical studies, molecular biology, genomics, chemistry, physics, bioengineering, computational biology, bioinformatics, and biostatistics) to advance nanotechnology applications in heart, lung, blood diseases. Each PEN contractor will identify and address three to five projects focused on heart, lung, and/or blood diseases using an interdisciplinary approach. Examples include, but are not limited to: In vitro diagnostics - Develop innovative nanotechnology-based diagnostic devices for rapid point-of care measurements of nucleic acids, proteins and/or biomarkers to facilitate personalized treatment of the individual patient and monitoring of response to treatment. Tissue engineering - Develop in vitro nanofiber scaffolds to control and direct cell differentiation and proliferation for the engineering of tissues such as small veins and arteries, cardiac valves, and lung major airways; develop injectable self-assembling nanomaterials for in vivo regeneration of damaged heart and lung tissues. Molecular imaging - Develop probes with high specificity and sensitivity to diagnose and monitor disease processes in vivo non-invasively or through catheter-based methods. Thrombolysis - Develop novel nanoparticle-based targeted thrombolytic agents with increased safety and efficacy. Drug delivery - Develop novel nanoparticle-based therapeutic agents to improve the effective dose of drug at the required site while reducing systemic side effects, through targeting, penetration of delivery barriers, modification of pharmacokinetics, protection from metabolism, or altered biodistribution. Biocompatibility and infection control - Develop nanotechnology-based coatings for blood-contacting devices such as ventricular assist devices and valves to reduce the burden of thrombosis and infection. Nucleic acid delivery - Develop nanotechnology-based methods for efficient non-viral gene delivery and delivery of siRNA to target organs and cells. Each NHLBI PEN will be expected to develop nanotechnology-based tools and technologies with the long-term goal of applying them to clinical diagnosis and therapeutics for heart, lung, and blood diseases. While the stage of development may vary for the different projects being addressed, offerors will be expected to include plans to obtain preclinical data appropriate for submission to the FDA in as part Investigational New Drug (IND), Investigational Device Exemption (IDE), or 510(k) approval for at least one of the proposed projects. It is critical that the funded Centers interact to share information on technical objectives, progress and impediments, as well as exchange ideas, and, where appropriate, establish collaborations. Thus, all research products and results must be made available to the research community in a timely fashion. Each Center will have a project plan that will address milestones, deliverables, and sharing. A Progress Review Panel will provide feedback and advice to both the Centers and to NHLBI. This solicitation will not be open to Federally Funded Research Development Centers (FFRDCs).