Single Cell Opioid Responses in the Context of HIV (SCORCH) Program Expansion: CNS Data Generation for Chronic Opioid, Methamphetamine, Cocaine and/or Cannabinoid Exposures (U01 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA DA 23 004

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the SCORCH Program Expansion funding opportunity?

The Single Cell Opioid Responses in the Context of HIV (SCORCH) Program Expansion: CNS Data Generation for Chronic Opioid, Methamphetamine, Cocaine and/or Cannabinoid Exposures is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity focused on generating and expanding central nervous system (CNS) single-cell datasets relevant to substance use disorders (SUDs) and HIV persistence.

What is the opportunity number / identifier?

The opportunity is identified as RFA-DA-23-004.

Which federal agency is sponsoring this opportunity?

The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

What funding mechanism is used?

This opportunity uses a U01 cooperative agreement mechanism.

What does a U01 cooperative agreement generally imply for applicants?

A U01 cooperative agreement generally indicates substantial scientific involvement or partnership expectations from NIH program staff compared to a standard investigator-initiated grant. It is often used when coordination, data generation standards, or shared resources are important.

Are clinical trials allowed under this opportunity?

No. The opportunity does not allow clinical trials.

What is the central goal of this program expansion?

The central goal is to generate and expand CNS single-cell datasets that help researchers pinpoint molecular signatures of individual cell types relevant to SUDs and to HIV persistence, including processes tied to HIV replication, latency, and reservoir biology.

What scientific area does this program focus on?

The program focuses on high-resolution, single-cell molecular profiling of CNS cellular populations and their molecular programs in the context of chronic substance exposure and HIV-related biology (often described as neuroHIV and addiction research at the cellular level).

Which substances are specifically emphasized in this opportunity?

The opportunity specifically emphasizes chronic exposure to opioids and other commonly co-used substances: methamphetamine, cocaine, and/or cannabinoids.

Why is the CNS a focus of this opportunity?

The initiative is designed to support a clearer, cell-by-cell view of how chronic substance exposure affects CNS cell populations and how those changes may intersect with HIV-related mechanisms, including immune and glial responses in the brain and factors that may influence HIV persistence.

What kinds of data are expected to be generated?

The program is aimed at building reference-quality CNS single-cell datasets that capture cell identity, cell state, and regulatory control with high resolution, enabling downstream hypothesis generation, target discovery, and cross-study comparisons.

Is the program limited to gene expression profiling?

No. While gene expression is part of the emphasis, the opportunity also highlights other regulatory layers such as the epigenome and nucleome, along with other emerging single-cell assays.

What single-cell approaches are emphasized?

The opportunity emphasizes modern single-cell and single-nucleus approaches, including transcriptomic, epigenomic, nucleomic, and related single-cell assays that can capture detailed molecular signatures at the level of individual CNS cell types and states.

How does this program relate to HIV biology?

The datasets are intended to help identify molecular signatures and cellular processes relevant to HIV persistence, including mechanisms tied to HIV replication, latency, and reservoir biology, especially where these intersect with chronic substance exposure.

What kinds of research questions is this program meant to enable?

The initiative is meant to enable questions such as: which CNS cell types show distinctive transcriptional or regulatory patterns linked to chronic substance exposure; which cell types may be more permissive or resilient to HIV-related mechanisms; and how substance exposure might reshape cellular environments in ways that influence HIV persistence or brain immune and glial responses.

What is the broader purpose of generating these datasets?

The longer-term purpose is to clarify mechanisms at the intersection of addiction and neuroHIV and to accelerate identification of cellular targets or pathways that could inform future research and intervention strategies.

What is the CFDA number and what activity area is listed?

The opportunity is listed under CFDA 93.279 and is described as a discretionary federal opportunity in the Education and Health activity area.

What was the posted original closing date for applications?

The posted original closing date for applications was 2022-08-11.

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

No. The source excerpt does not specify an award ceiling or an expected number of awards, implying those details would typically be found in the full announcement and related NIH documentation.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad and includes a wide range of domestic and certain non-domestic organizations, including multiple types of government entities, higher education institutions, nonprofits, for-profits, small businesses, tribal entities, and other organizations.

Are U.S. state and local government entities eligible?

Yes. Eligible applicants include state, county, city/township, and special district governments, as well as independent school districts.

Are colleges and universities eligible to apply?

Yes. Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education are included as eligible applicants.

Are nonprofit organizations eligible?

Yes. Nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status are eligible (excluding institutions of higher education within those nonprofit categories as stated in the provided eligibility list).

Are for-profit organizations eligible?

Yes. For-profit organizations other than small businesses are eligible, and small businesses are also eligible.

Are tribal governments and tribal organizations eligible?

Yes. Federally recognized Native American tribal governments are eligible, and Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments are also listed as eligible.

Are organizations outside the United States eligible?

Yes. The eligibility list includes non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations).

Are U.S. territories or possessions eligible to apply?

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

Are minority-serving institutions specifically encouraged or included in the eligibility list?

Yes. The eligibility list explicitly includes Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and other related institution types.

Are faith-based or community-based organizations eligible?

Yes. Faith-based or community-based organizations are explicitly listed among eligible applicant types.

Are public housing authorities eligible?

Yes. Public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities are included among eligible applicants.

Is the program primarily a data-generation initiative?

Yes. It is best understood as a data-generation and discovery-enabling initiative centered on high-resolution single-cell molecular profiling to produce detailed reference-quality datasets.

What makes single-cell data valuable for this program compared to traditional methods?

The expected output is cell-type- and cell-state-specific molecular information that traditional bulk assays cannot provide, supporting finer-grained insights into CNS biology relevant to chronic substance exposure and HIV persistence.