DoD Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Therapeutic Idea Award

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The Therapeutic Idea Award is designed to promote new ideas aimed at drug or treatment discovery that are still in the early stages of development. Projects that focus primarily on investigating the pathophysiology of ALS are not within the scope of this Program Announcement/Funding Opportunity. Development and/or modification of preclinical model systems or the application of high-throughput screens to define or assess lead compounds for ALS treatment are of interest. Development of methods to adequately measure target binding and proximal downstream effects (target engagement) and the potential for undesirable activities at related but unintended targets (selectivity) are also encouraged. While the inclusion of preliminary data is not prohibited, the strength of the application should not rely on preliminary data, but on the innovative approach. All proposed research projects should include a well- formulated, testable hypothesis based on strong scientific rationale that holds translational potential to improve ALS treatment and/or advance a novel treatment modality. Innovation and impact are important aspects of the Therapeutic Idea Award. Research deemed innovative may introduce a new paradigm, challenge current paradigms, introduce novel concepts or technologies, or exhibit other uniquely creative qualities that may lead to potential therapeutics for ALS. Impact may be near-term or long-term, but must be significant and move beyond an incremental advancement. Identification of treatment approaches using biological correlates of disease activity and progression in pre-existing human specimens from well-characterized, adequately controlled, and sufficiently powered patient cohorts is encouraged. Examples of acceptable cohorts for study include controlled clinical trials, observational studies, and registries (e.g., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National ALS Registry and/or Biorepository; https://www.cdc.gov/als/Default.html). Active duty military and/or Veteran patient populations or resources should be considered. All specimens must exist at the time of application submission; collection of new specimens will not be supported. The Therapeutic Idea Award encourages applications that include meaningful and productive collaborations between investigators. As appropriate, applicants are encouraged to collaborate with established ALS researchers. Applicants seeking support for the development of products beyond drug or treatment discovery should consider the FY18 ALSRP Therapeutic Development Award (Funding Opportunity Number: W81XWH-18-ALSRP-TDA), which supports advanced preclinical development activities (http://cdmrp.army.mil/funding/alsrp). The proposed research must be relevant to active duty Service Members, Veterans, military beneficiaries, and/or the American public.

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