Elucidation and Validation of the role of Transporters in the Placenta, Lactating Mammary Gland, Developing Gut, and Blood Brain Barrier

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development seeks to advance its mission of supporting maternal, fetal, and child health by continuing to enhance the understanding of maternal, fetal, and child exposure to nutrients, metabolites, medications, supplements, microbiome-derived products, and environmental chemicals. This will be done by supporting a second phase of the Transporter Elucidation Network (TEN). This phase of the TEN will establish perinatal multi-barrier transport network frameworks to clarify how transporters and local biotransformation regulate these processes. Building on prior organ-focused models, methods, and datasets, this initiative will develop standards, resources, models, and prototype multi-compartment approaches spanning maternal gut, placenta, lactating mammary epithelium, infant gut, and infant blood-brain barrier. The initiative is expected to support a mechanistic understanding of transporter function, polarity, kinetics, and transformation capacity relevant to pregnancy, lactation, infant nutrition, pediatric pharmacology, and neurodevelopment. By emphasizing multi-barrier perinatal transporter frameworks this phase of the TEN will provide community resources for future integrated studies of perinatal exposure, risk, and intervention across interlinked maternal, fetal, and infant systems. It will also strengthen coordination among investigators, accelerate dissemination of tools, and advance human-based, developmentally relevant transporter research and workforce development. The grant authority for this is 42 U.S.C. § 241

Other Eligible ApplicantsIndian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized);Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government;U.S. Territory or Possession;Faith-based or Community-based Organizations;Regional Organizations;Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions).

The major elements in evaluating proposals include assessments of the significance of the proposed research; approach; innovation; investigators; and environment. The following criteria will be used in considering the scientific and technical merit of SBIR/STTR Phase I grant applications: (1) The soundness and technical merit of the proposed approach; (2) the qualifications of the proposed principal investigator, supporting staff, and consultants; (3) the technological innovation of the proposed research; (4) the potential of the proposed research for commercial application; (5) the appropriateness of the budget requested; (6) the adequacy and suitability of the facilities and research environment; and (7) where applicable, the adequacy of assurances detailing the proposed means for (a) safeguarding human or animal subjects, and/or (b) protecting against or minimizing any adverse effect on the environment. Phase II grant applications will be reviewed based upon the following criteria: (1) The degree to which the Phase I objectives were met and feasibility demonstrated; (2) the scientific and technical merit of the proposed approach for achieving the Phase II objectives; (3) the qualifications of the proposed principal investigator, supporting staff, and consultants; (4) the technological innovation originality, or societal importance of the proposed research; (5) the potential of the proposed research for commercial application; (6) the reasonableness of the budget...

Fiscal year 2025: The following is a tiny sample of fiscal year 2025 NICHD funded grants within the discretionary award class type. 1) Understanding the role of early life social determinants and sex-specific pubertal pathways in the development of adolescent chronic pain. 2) Improving In Vitro Fertilization Success through Multiplexed Optical Metabolic Imaging. 3) Genetic Studies of Large Palindromes. 4) A Safe, Fast, and Cost-Effective System for Tissue Removal in Laparoscopic Hysterectomy and Other Minimally Invasive Surgery. The following is a tiny sample of fiscal year 2025 NICHD funded grants within the cooperative agreement award class type. 1) Study of Treatment and Reproductive outcomes. 2) Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (PHACS): Research on Immune Aging, Sexual and Reproductive Health, and Perinatal Acquisition: Elucidating Relationships in HIV (RISE). 3) Pelvic Floor Disorders Network Data Coordinating Center. 4) NICHD Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units (MFMU) Network: Data Coordinating Center. Fiscal year 2026: The following is a tiny sample of fiscal year 2026 NICHD funded grants within the discretionary award class type. 1) Placental Proteins and Prematurity. 2) In...