Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 17 242
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), through the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), issued the grant opportunity titled "Extracellular Vesicles and Substance Use Disorders (R21)" (Funding Opportunity Number PAR 17 242). This is a discretionary grant mechanism using the NIH R21 activity, which is typically intended to support exploratory or early-stage research that can generate proof-of-concept data or open up new lines of investigation. The scientific focus is on extracellular vesicles (EVs) and how they relate to substance use disorders (SUDs), with NIDA specifically encouraging projects that dig into the two-way relationship between EV biology and the brain and body changes seen in addiction.
At the center of the opportunity is the idea that EVs may be important messengers in addiction biology. EVs are small membrane-bound particles released by cells that can carry proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids (including different forms of RNA) and influence other cells. In the context of SUDs, the FOA emphasizes interest in whether EVs can help explain neuroplasticity, meaning the ways the nervous system adapts over time in response to drug exposure, withdrawal, relapse, stress, and related factors. By highlighting neuroplastic mechanisms, the opportunity points researchers toward questions about how EVs might participate in long-lasting changes in brain circuits, synaptic function, neuroinflammation, neuron-glia communication, and other processes that are known to contribute to addiction risk, progression, and recovery.
The FOA also signals strong interest in translational utility, especially in two practical directions: biomarkers and therapeutics. On the biomarker side, the opportunity invites work evaluating whether EVs found in accessible biofluids (for example, blood or other clinical samples) could serve as indicators of substance exposure, disease severity, relapse vulnerability, treatment response, or other clinically meaningful traits. Because EV cargo can reflect the state of the cells that produced them, EV-based biomarkers could potentially offer a window into brain-related processes without needing invasive procedures. On the therapeutic side, the announcement allows for the possibility that EVs could be leveraged as treatment tools, whether by modifying EV content, using EVs as delivery vehicles, or targeting EV pathways to influence disease-relevant signaling. Overall, the FOA frames EVs as both a way to understand SUD mechanisms and as a possible route to new diagnostic or treatment strategies.
From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity falls under the Health and Education funding activity categories and is associated with CFDA number 93.279. The listed award ceiling is $200,000, and while the source data shows "ExpectedAwards:" without a specific number filled in, the ceiling suggests a small, exploratory award scale consistent with R21-style projects. The original closing date shown is 2020-03-03, and the funding opportunity record indicates it was created on 2017-04-04, reflecting that this was part of a multi-year NIH/NIDA effort to stimulate research in this area during that period.
Eligibility is broad and includes many common public and private research and community entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) IRS status (other than higher education institutions); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. In addition, the FOA explicitly highlights "other eligible applicants" such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations). Taken together, that eligibility language indicates NIDA wanted to encourage participation from a wide range of institutions, including those serving underrepresented populations and organizations positioned to connect mechanistic science with real-world SUD concerns.
In practical terms, a competitive application under this FOA would be expected to clearly tie EV-focused methods and hypotheses to substance use disorder questions, rather than studying EVs in isolation. Projects could be oriented toward understanding how EV production, cargo, or uptake changes with drug exposure; how EVs influence neuronal or glial function linked to craving and relapse; whether EV signatures track with stages of addiction or recovery; or whether EV-centered interventions can modify disease-relevant pathways. The overarching theme is exploratory but purposeful: generate new insights and tools at the intersection of extracellular vesicle biology and addiction science, with an eye toward mechanisms, measurable biomarkers, and future therapeutic potential.Apply for PAR 17 242
- The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Extracellular Vesicles and Substance Use Disorders (R21)" 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 2017-04-04.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-03-03. (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.
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| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Research Projects to Enhance Applicability of Mammalian Models for Translational Research (R01) Apply for PAR 17 245 Funding Number: PAR 17 245 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $450,000 |
| Extracellular Vesicles and Substance Use Disorders (R01) Apply for PAR 17 250 Funding Number: PAR 17 250 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Expanding Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorders in the Context of the SAMHSA Opioid STR Grants (R21/R33) Apply for RFA DA 18 005 Funding Number: RFA DA 18 005 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Nasal Delivery of CNS Therapeutics (R43/R44) Apply for RFA DA 18 006 Funding Number: RFA DA 18 006 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Nasal Delivery of CNS Therapeutics (R41/R42) Apply for RFA DA 18 007 Funding Number: RFA DA 18 007 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Role of Myeloid Cells in Persistence and Eradication of HIV-1 Reservoirs from the Brain (R01) Apply for RFA MH 18 300 Funding Number: RFA MH 18 300 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Role of Myeloid Cells in Persistence and Eradication of HIV-1 Reservoirs from the Brain (R21) Apply for RFA MH 18 301 Funding Number: RFA MH 18 301 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Genomic Community Resources (U24) Apply for PAR 17 273 Funding Number: PAR 17 273 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| In Vitro and Animal Model Studies on HBV/HIV Co-Infection (R01) Apply for PA 17 280 Funding Number: PA 17 280 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| HIV and Hepatitis B Co-Infection: Advancing HBV Functional Cure through Clinical Research (R01) Apply for PA 17 279 Funding Number: PA 17 279 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Wearable to Track Recovery and Relapse Factors for People w/ Addiction(R43/R44) Apply for RFA DA 18 010 Funding Number: RFA DA 18 010 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Exploring Novel RNA Modifications in HIV/AIDS and Substance Use Disorders (R01) Apply for RFA DA 18 008 Funding Number: RFA DA 18 008 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Exploring Novel RNA Modifications in HIV/AIDS and Substance Use Disorders (R21) Apply for RFA DA 18 009 Funding Number: RFA DA 18 009 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| In Vitro and Animal Model Studies on HBV/HIV Co-Infection (R21) Apply for PA 17 281 Funding Number: PA 17 281 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| HIV and Hepatitis B Co-Infection: Advancing HBV Functional Cure through Clinical Research (R21) Apply for PA 17 278 Funding Number: PA 17 278 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Leveraging Population-based Cancer Registry Data to Study Health Disparities (R01) Apply for PA 17 289 Funding Number: PA 17 289 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Leveraging Population-based Cancer Registry Data to Study Health Disparities (R21) Apply for PA 17 288 Funding Number: PA 17 288 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Addressing Suicide Research Gaps: Aggregating and Mining Existing Data Sets for Secondary Analyses (R01) Apply for RFA MH 18 400 Funding Number: RFA MH 18 400 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $300,000 |
| Silencing of HIV-1 Proviruses (R61/R33) Apply for RFA AI 17 013 Funding Number: RFA AI 17 013 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| U.S. Tobacco Control Policies to Reduce Health Disparities (R01) Apply for PAR 17 217 Funding Number: PAR 17 217 Agency: National Institutes of Health Category: Education, Health Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
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