Human Brain Single-cell Genomics Explorer (U24 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA NS 24 038

FAQs: Human Brain Single-cell Genomics Explorer (RFA NS 24 038)

What is the Human Brain Single-cell Genomics Explorer (RFA NS 24 038)?

It is an NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience funding opportunity to pilot a centralized, user-facing resource that makes human brain single-cell data easier to find, compare, and reuse across studies.

What is the main purpose of this pilot resource?

The pilot aims to bring together processed, deidentified human brain single-cell transcriptomics and epigenomics datasets, harmonize them across both reference (baseline/atlas-style) and disease-focused collections, and deliver them through an integrated platform where users can explore, analyze, and download the data.

What problem is this opportunity trying to solve?

It is meant to reduce the friction that occurs when different consortia and laboratories generate valuable single-cell datasets using different processing pipelines, metadata standards, and naming conventions, which makes cross-dataset comparisons difficult.

What types of data are expected to be included in the explorer?

The focus is on processed, deidentified human brain single-cell datasets, specifically transcriptomics and epigenomics, assembled across reference/atlas-style datasets and disease-focused collections.

Does the resource focus only on baseline (reference) data, or does it include disease-focused data too?

It is expected to harmonize data across both reference (baseline/atlas-style) collections and disease-focused collections, so that users can compare and reuse data across these different study types.

What is meant by "harmonize" datasets in this context?

Harmonization refers to aligning datasets so they can be compared and reused across studies despite differences in how they were processed, described (metadata), and labeled (naming conventions).

What platform capabilities are expected for users?

The deliverable is an integrated platform where users can explore the data, analyze the data, and download the data.

What is a key deliverable of the pilot besides the platform itself?

A central deliverable is the creation of a unified human brain cell-type taxonomy that works across datasets rather than being tied to a single project or a single disease cohort.

What is meant by a "unified human brain cell-type taxonomy"?

It refers to a consistent cell-type classification framework intended to function across multiple datasets, enabling more direct comparisons and reuse across studies that would otherwise use different cell-type labels.

What is a "draft, annotatable cell-type nomenclature"?

It is a naming system designed to be consistent across datasets while also being designed for refinement over time, as the field evolves and community experts contribute feedback.

Will the taxonomy and naming system be fixed, or can it evolve?

The opportunity explicitly describes a draft, annotatable nomenclature, indicating it is intended to be refined as the field evolves and as community experts provide feedback.

Will researchers be able to map their own datasets to the taxonomy?

Yes. Another key component is functionality that allows researchers to map their own community-generated single-cell omics datasets onto the taxonomy.

Why is the dataset-to-taxonomy mapping capability important?

It turns the resource from a static portal into a reference framework for classification and comparison, helping researchers align newly generated data to an agreed-upon set of cell types and labels.

What kind of NIH award mechanism is used for this opportunity?

The opportunity is structured as a U24 cooperative agreement.

What does it mean that this is a U24 cooperative agreement?

As described in the opportunity summary, a U24 cooperative agreement typically indicates substantial programmatic involvement from NIH staff and a strong emphasis on building a community resource with clear milestones, coordination, and user-oriented deliverables rather than a purely investigator-driven research project.

Are clinical trials allowed under this funding opportunity?

No. Clinical trials are not allowed, reinforcing that the focus is informatics, data integration, and resource development rather than prospective interventional human studies.

Is this opportunity intended as a stand-alone project or part of something larger?

The pilot is explicitly positioned as groundwork for a larger and longer-term effort spanning multiple NIH consortia, with an emphasis on increasing the utility, accessibility, and consistency of human cell-type classification data for broad neuroscience community use.

Who is the funding agency for this opportunity?

The funding agency is NIH.

What is the original application closing date?

The original closing date listed is February 14, 2025.

What is the award ceiling for this opportunity?

The opportunity lists an award ceiling of $1,000,000.

What general category of funding is this?

It is categorized under discretionary funding.

Which CFDA (federal assistance) numbers are associated with this opportunity?

The CFDA numbers listed include 93.113, 93.121, 93.213, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.853, 93.865, 93.866, and 93.867.

Which organizations are eligible to apply?

The application is open to a wide range of eligible applicants, including state and local governments; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; independent school districts; special district governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) as well as small businesses; and other entities.

Are there additional eligible categories specifically highlighted?

Yes. The solicitation highlights additional eligible applicant categories including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, non-U.S. (foreign) organizations, tribal governments that are not federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions.

Does the opportunity allow non-U.S. (foreign) organizations to apply?

Yes. Non-U.S. (foreign) organizations are specifically listed among the additional eligible applicant categories.

Why is eligibility so broad for this opportunity?

The summary indicates the broad eligibility reflects the resource-building nature of the project and the desire to pull in technical expertise from many organizational types.

What is the intended audience for the resource that gets built?

The resource is described as a centralized, user-facing, community-facing explorer intended to support the neuroscience community by increasing the utility, accessibility, and consistency of human cell-type classification data.

Is the explorer expected to host raw human data?

The description emphasizes processed, deidentified human brain single-cell data. It does not describe hosting raw identified human data.

What makes this resource "centralized" and "integrated" based on the description?

It is centralized and integrated in the sense that it brings together multiple processed, deidentified datasets, harmonizes them across reference and disease-focused collections, and delivers them through a single platform for exploration, analysis, and download.

What is the long-term value NIH is aiming for with this pilot?

The pilot is intended to lay groundwork for a larger effort spanning multiple NIH consortia, improving the consistency and usability of human cell-type classification so it can be broadly used for classification and comparison across studies.