The Office of Strategic Coordination (Common Fund), with NIH Institutes and Centers participating in the Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative, is soliciting applications for a new SPARC initiative. This initiative is intended to support anatomical and functional mapping of neural circuitry mediating visceral organ pain. Projects supported under this funding opportunity announcement (FOA), RFA-RM19-001, will be considered part of the SPARC program as well as part of Translational Devices to Treat Pain (TDTP), a coordinated set of related NINDS and NIBIB initiatives within HEAL that are intended to support a device-based strategy for new non-addictive pain treatments.  The SPARC initiative will support detailed mapping of pain-related circuits connecting to visceral organs that will advance the goals of the SPARC program, TDTP, and the trans-NIH HEAL initiative. Related HEAL initiatives include:

• RFA-NS19-017: encourage small business concerns (SBCs) to pursue translational activities and clinical trials to treat pain with innovative, targeted, and non-addictive diagnostic and/or therapeutic devices
• RFA-NS19-016, RFA-NS19-018 and RFA-EB18-003: preclinical development and demonstration of safe, effective, and non-addictive device-based technologies and approaches to treat pain
• RFA-NS-18-042 and RFA-NS-18-043: studies to validate novel pain targets across therapeutic modalities

Applications in response to RFA-RM19-001 are due February 8, 2019. Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided each application proposes distinct activities. Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss their proposed project with SPARC and/or HEAL Program staff (Drs. Gene Civillico and Michael Oshinsky: [email protected]). In addition, potential attendees are encouraged to review the “Developing Medical Devices to Treat Pain” webinar slides provided below. 

• Webinar slides