APOL1 Long-term Kidney Transplantation Outcomes Network Scientific and Data Research Center (APOLLO SDRC) (Collaborative U01) | RFA DK 16 024

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DK 16 024

The APOL1 Long-term Kidney Transplantation Outcomes Network Scientific and Data Research Center (APOLLO SDRC) opportunity (RFA-DK-16-024) is a National Institutes of Health cooperative agreement designed to build the central scientific and data hub for a national research consortium focused on kidney transplantation outcomes related to APOL1 genetic variants. The award supports the formation of a multidisciplinary team that will serve as the APOLLO Scientific Data Research Center, working in close collaboration with separately funded APOLLO Clinical Centers that are solicited under a parallel announcement (RFA-DK-16-025). Because this is a cooperative agreement (U01), the work is intended to be carried out in partnership with NIH program staff, with substantial federal involvement in coordinating, overseeing, and shaping key elements of the consortium's activities.

The core scientific purpose of APOLLO is to design and conduct studies using a comprehensive, prospective, longitudinal cohort to clarify how APOL1 risk variants influence long-term outcomes after kidney transplantation in the United States, specifically among recipients who received kidneys from African-American donors. APOL1 gene variants are known to be associated with increased susceptibility to certain kidney diseases in people with African ancestry, and this program is structured to address a high-impact clinical question: whether and how donor APOL1 genotype affects transplant performance over time. In addition to following transplant recipients, the consortium will also track outcomes for African-American living kidney donors, recognizing that donor health and long-term kidney function are critical to understanding the full implications of donation in this population.

The outcomes emphasized in this announcement focus on clinically meaningful endpoints in transplant recipients, including the rate of change in kidney function over time, the incidence of acute rejection, graft failure, and the need to return to maintenance dialysis. These endpoints together capture both gradual loss of function and discrete adverse events that can compromise transplant success. On the donor side, the program aims to assess outcomes such as survival (vital status) and renal functional status to the greatest extent possible, reflecting an intent to generate robust, real-world evidence about donor trajectories after nephrectomy while acknowledging that long-term donor follow-up can be challenging.

As the SDRC, the funded group is expected to function as the coordinating center that makes the network possible from a scientific operations and data standpoint. While the announcement text provided does not list tasks line-by-line, the role implied by "Scientific and Data Research Center" in a longitudinal, multi-center consortium typically includes responsibility for study coordination, development and harmonization of protocols across clinical sites, data collection standards, database and data management infrastructure, data quality control, statistical and analytic leadership, and support for reporting and dissemination of findings. In practical terms, the SDRC would be the place where the cohort design is operationalized, where data from multiple sites are standardized into a common structure, and where analyses are planned and executed to answer the APOL1-related research questions in a rigorous and reproducible way.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary federal funding opportunity administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through NIH, with an activity category aligned to health (CFDA 93.847). The opportunity was created on November 16, 2016, with an original closing date of February 24, 2017. The announcement anticipated a single award, with an award ceiling of $500,000. Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic organizations that commonly participate in NIH research, such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (including and excluding 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and various governmental and tribal entities, with an "other" category directing applicants to consult the full eligibility text for any additional clarifications.

Overall, this FOA is about establishing the central scientific and data backbone for a national, collaborative transplant outcomes cohort that can definitively evaluate the impact of APOL1 genetic risk variants in the setting of kidneys transplanted from African-American donors, while also extending attention to the long-term health outcomes of African-American kidney donors themselves. The structure (a single SDRC award working alongside multiple clinical centers under a parallel FOA) is aimed at ensuring both strong on-the-ground cohort recruitment/follow-up and a unified, high-quality approach to data, analysis, and network-wide scientific direction.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health in the food and nutrition, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "APOL1 Long-term Kidney Transplantation Outcomes Network Scientific and Data Research Center (APOLLO SDRC) (Collaborative U01)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.847.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 16, 2016.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 24, 2017. (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 $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• 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 (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for RFA DK 16 024

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: