Telomeres in Wellness and Disease: A Biobehavioral Approach (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) | PA 19 073

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 19 073

The NIH funding opportunity titled "Telomeres in Wellness and Disease: A Biobehavioral Approach (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)" (PA-19-073) is a discretionary grant program designed to spark early-stage, exploratory clinical research on how telomeres relate to both health and illness. The central aim is to move telomere science beyond basic associations and into biobehavioral research programs that can better explain, predict, and potentially improve real-world health outcomes. In practical terms, the FOA is looking for projects that connect telomere biology with behavioral, psychological, and social factors, and that test how these relationships may influence disease risk, symptom burden, recovery, and long-term wellness.

This opportunity is grounded in the growing evidence that telomeres, the protective DNA-protein structures at the ends of chromosomes, are linked to a range of health-related outcomes. Telomere length and related telomere-maintenance processes have been associated in prior work with aging, chronic disease risk, stress exposure, and other factors that sit at the intersection of biology and lived experience. Even with that foundation, NIH is signaling that the field still needs more targeted and methodologically strong clinical studies to fully harness telomere measures in ways that can guide prevention, support wellness, reduce disease burden, or improve symptom and self-management strategies. The emphasis on a "biobehavioral approach" highlights interest in research that does not treat telomeres as purely molecular endpoints, but instead integrates them into broader models that include behavior change, stress processes, health behaviors, social determinants, and clinical outcomes.

The activity mechanism is an R21, which typically supports exploratory, high-impact, and potentially higher-risk projects that can generate compelling preliminary data or open new research directions. The FOA is listed as "Clinical Trial Optional," meaning applicants may propose studies that either include or do not include a clinical trial component, depending on what best fits the research questions. The focus, however, remains on clinical research, so projects are generally expected to involve human participants and outcomes relevant to health, functioning, symptoms, or disease processes, rather than purely laboratory or animal work.

Funding details provided in the source indicate an award ceiling of $200,000. The opportunity is administered by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is tied to CFDA number 93.361, placing it within NIH's health research assistance portfolio. The original closing date listed is January 7, 2022, and the FOA was created on November 20, 2018, which matters for applicants because it suggests the listing is time-bounded and may now be expired or superseded by a reissued announcement. Even when an opportunity is no longer accepting applications, the description remains useful as a guide to NIH priorities and the kinds of projects that may fit similar, current FOAs.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations across government, education, nonprofit, and private sectors. Eligible applicants include state, county, city/township, and 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 and other Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions when specified); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) as well as small businesses; and additional entities classified as "other." The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible groups such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISIs, 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-U.S. entities (foreign organizations). That breadth suggests NIH is encouraging diverse institutional participation and potentially research in varied populations and settings, which fits well with the biobehavioral framing and the need to understand telomere-related processes across different life contexts.

Overall, the opportunity is aimed at building a stronger bridge between telomere biology and actionable clinical and behavioral science. It supports projects that can clarify when and how telomeres matter for health, and how telomere-informed approaches might eventually contribute to maintaining wellness, lowering disease risk, and improving symptom management and self-care in patient and community settings.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Telomeres in Wellness and Disease: A Biobehavioral Approach (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.361.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-11-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-01-07. (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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