Notice of Intent to Publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity for Biomarkers of Cognitive Decline and Dementias of Aging in Individuals within the Autism Spectrum (U01 Clinical Trial Optional)

The National Institute on Aging intends to promote a new initiative by publishing a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to invite applications to conduct observational studies in individuals living with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) along the lifespan. The overarching goal is to use deep phenotyping, including neuroimaging, molecular and other approaches, to discover and characterize biomarkers of neurodegeneration in this population, in relation with clinical manifestation of age-related decline in multiple cognitive domains. The project may also support evaluation of the performance of established dementia biomarkers in the context of ASD, or retrospective analysis of datasets aimed at the discovery of ASD-specific features of cognitive decline and neurodegeneration, as well as post-mortem studies to characterize markers of neurodegeneration and/or processes that contribute to neurodegeneration. Studies to develop and validate tools for comprehensive clinical characterization and/or functional assessment in this population are also invited.This Notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects.The NOFO is expected to be published in December 2024 with an expected application due date in February 2025.This NOFO will utilize the U01 activity code. Details of the planned NOFO are provided below.