Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Preclinical Animal Study Sites (U01) | RFA RM 15 013

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the title and funding opportunity number for this grant?

The opportunity is titled "Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Preclinical Animal Study Sites (U01)" and the Funding Opportunity Number is RFA-RM-15-013.

Which NIH program is this opportunity part of?

This funding opportunity is issued under the NIH Common Fund Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC).

What is the main purpose of this funding opportunity?

The main purpose is to build the consortium's preclinical capacity by establishing and supporting Preclinical Animal Study Sites (PASS) that can run carefully designed animal exercise studies in parallel with, and in support of, the MoTrPAC human clinical protocol.

What does PASS stand for, and what are PASS sites expected to do?

PASS stands for Preclinical Animal Study Sites. These sites are expected to conduct controlled exercise interventions in animals and collect high-quality tissue samples, generating biospecimens and associated data that directly complement what is being collected in the MoTrPAC human studies.

How are the animal studies supposed to relate to the MoTrPAC human studies?

The animal studies are intended to align with and complement the MoTrPAC human clinical protocol, so that molecular findings in people can be compared against experimental animal models where variables can be tightly controlled. This supports cross-species insight into how physical activity produces health effects at the molecular level.

How many animal species can a single PASS site work with under this opportunity?

Each PASS site is expected to collect tissue samples from a single animal species per site.

What kinds of interventions are expected in the animal model?

The expectation is for controlled exercise interventions in animals. The focus is on producing well-annotated tissues and data that match what is being collected in the human arm of MoTrPAC.

What types of samples and data are emphasized?

The emphasis is on high-quality tissue samples and associated data that can be used to compare across species and understand molecular responses to exercise, including circulating or tissue-derived factors that change with physical activity and may act across organs.

Are awardees expected to do more than just collect and deliver samples?

Yes. In addition to sample collection, the funding opportunity highlights an expectation that awardees will perform initial, detailed mechanistic studies.

What are "mechanistic studies" in the context of this FOA?

Mechanistic studies here are intended to move beyond descriptive profiling to testing function. This includes identifying candidate molecules that transduce the effects of physical activity and investigating their sources (which tissues or cell types produce them), their targets (which tissues respond), and their biological roles.

What does the FOA mean by "molecular transducers" of physical activity?

Based on the description provided, molecular transducers are candidate molecules that help explain how exercise-induced molecular changes lead to downstream effects, including organ-to-organ communication and causal pathways that contribute to systemic health benefits.

What is the award mechanism for this opportunity?

The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement (U01).

What does a U01 cooperative agreement generally imply about NIH involvement?

A U01 cooperative agreement typically means NIH staff will have substantial scientific and programmatic involvement during the project period, rather than acting strictly as a hands-off funder.

Is this opportunity designed for standalone projects or for participation in a larger effort?

It is designed for participation in a coordinated consortium effort. Funded sites are intended to become part of MoTrPAC rather than operate as isolated projects.

Who is eligible to apply (in general terms)?

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizational types. Eligible applicants include many government entities, institutions of higher education (public, state-controlled, and private), certain school districts, certain housing authorities, tribal governments and organizations, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status, in the categories specified), for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and other eligible organizational forms as indicated by NIH.

Are state and local government entities eligible to apply?

Yes. The eligible applicant types include state, county, city or township, and special district governments.

Are colleges and universities eligible to apply?

Yes. Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education are included among eligible applicant types.

Are nonprofit organizations eligible to apply?

Yes. Nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status are included, as long as they are not institutions of higher education when applying in that nonprofit category.

Are for-profit organizations eligible to apply?

Yes. The eligible applicant types include for-profit organizations other than small businesses, as well as small businesses.

Are tribal governments and tribal organizations eligible to apply?

Yes. The eligible applicant types include federally recognized Native American tribal governments and Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments). The FOA also calls out Indian/Native American tribal governments that are not federally recognized as eligible.

Are U.S. territories or possessions eligible?

Yes. U.S. territories or possessions are explicitly listed among additional eligible applicant types.

Does the FOA mention eligibility for specific institution types such as HBCUs or Hispanic-serving institutions?

Yes. The FOA explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant types including 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 (AANAPISISs).

Are faith-based or community-based organizations eligible?

Yes. Faith-based or community-based organizations are included among the additional eligible applicant types listed.

Are foreign (non-U.S.) organizations eligible to apply as the main applicant?

No. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization.

Can a U.S. organization apply if it has a non-domestic component?

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 under NIH policy if appropriately justified and approved.

What does it mean that "foreign components" are allowed?

It means a U.S. applicant may include substantive project elements carried out outside the United States if they meet NIH policy requirements and are appropriately justified and approved, even though a foreign institution cannot be the main applicant.

When was this funding opportunity created, and what was the original closing date?

The listing indicates it was created on 2015-10-08, and the original closing date was 2016-03-18.

What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is associated with CFDA number 93.310.

Does the provided information include an award ceiling or expected number of awards?

No. The excerpt provided does not include an award ceiling or the expected number of awards.

Why does the FOA emphasize standardized or harmonized animal studies?

Because the goal is to generate tissues and data that align with the human MoTrPAC protocol and can be compared across studies and species, supporting coordinated consortium-wide analyses rather than disconnected, site-specific approaches.

What is the scientific rationale for using animal studies in this program?

The animal studies are intended to support cross-species insight into how physical activity affects health at the molecular level, and to enable experiments where variables can be tightly controlled and follow-up mechanistic testing can be performed more directly than in human participants.

What kinds of biological questions are PASS sites expected to help answer?

They are expected to help identify which circulating or tissue-derived factors change with exercise, determine where those factors originate, understand which tissues respond, and link exercise-induced molecular changes to causal pathways and organ-to-organ communication that drive systemic health benefits.