Non-Human Primate Developmental Genotype-Tissue Expression (NHP dGTEx) Project (U24 Clinical Trials Not Allowed) | RFA HG 21 026

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HG 21 026

The Non-Human Primate Developmental Genotype-Tissue Expression (NHP dGTEx) Project is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity (RFA HG 21 026) that supports the creation and operation of a centralized NHP dGTEx Research Center. The award mechanism is a U24 cooperative agreement, meaning the NIH will have substantial scientific and programmatic involvement in the project rather than operating strictly as a hands-off funder. The activity focus sits in the health and genomics space (CFDA 93.172), and the announcement specifies "Clinical Trials Not Allowed," so the work is intended to be resource-building, genomics, and comparative biology rather than interventional human or animal clinical trials.

The core purpose of the center is to build a high-value community resource that maps how gene expression changes across tissues and developmental time in non-human primates, and then relates those patterns to what is known in humans. The opportunity lays out four major functions. First, the center is expected to create a well-curated tissue resource spanning multiple reference tissues collected across developmental stages in non-human primates. This implies a structured, systematic approach to sample collection and annotation so that the resulting specimens are broadly useful as reference material for the research community. Second, the center will generate molecular data from those tissues, specifically transcriptome sequencing and other genomic analyses, and it is expected to cover both bulk tissue measurements and single-cell populations. In practice, that points toward a combination of approaches such as bulk RNA sequencing for overall tissue-level expression patterns and single-cell or single-nucleus methods to resolve cell-type-specific expression programs, plus complementary genomics assays as appropriate.

Third, beyond generating specimens and raw data, the center must perform analyses that characterize gene expression patterns in non-human primates and explicitly compare them to human gene expression patterns. This comparative component is central: the project is meant to illuminate where developmental gene regulation is conserved between NHPs and humans, where it diverges, and how those similarities and differences vary across tissues and developmental windows. This kind of cross-species expression atlas can be used to improve translational interpretation of NHP studies, refine model selection for human biology questions, and provide context for human genomic findings by anchoring them to closely related primate developmental biology.

Fourth, the center is responsible for making both the tissue samples and the resulting data available and usable to the wider scientific community. "Usable" is doing a lot of work here: it suggests expectations around data quality, standardized metadata, clear documentation, and practical access mechanisms so external researchers can find, request, and analyze the materials without needing insider knowledge. For a project like this, usability typically depends on consistent sample processing, rigorous quality control, harmonized ontologies for tissues and developmental stages, and release practices that support downstream computation and integration with existing human resources such as GTEx-style datasets.

Eligibility is broad and includes many common NIH-eligible organization types: state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses; and other eligible entities. The announcement also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it draws a clear boundary around foreign involvement: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components (as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement) are allowed, which typically means a U.S.-based applicant can include certain scientifically justified activities performed outside the U.S. under NIH rules, even though a foreign institution cannot serve as the applicant organization.

The opportunity was created on 2021-06-03 with an original application closing date of 2021-08-02. The source excerpt does not provide an award ceiling or the expected number of awards, so those details would need to be confirmed in the full funding announcement text or NIH documentation. Overall, the grant is designed to stand up a coordinated, NIH-partnered center that produces a developmental, multi-tissue NHP gene expression and genomics resource, analyzes it in direct comparison to human expression patterns, and distributes both biospecimens and high-quality datasets in a way that accelerates broader research use.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Non-Human Primate Developmental Genotype-Tissue Expression (NHP dGTEx) Project (U24 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.172.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-06-03.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-08-02. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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.

Apply for RFA HG 21 026

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