This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is associated with the COVID-19 Supplement funded through the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (P.L. 116-139) which directs the National Cancer Institute of the NIH “to develop, validate, improve, and implement serological testing and associated technologies “. The purpose of the FOA is to establish Serological Sciences Centers of Excellence with the goal of identifying and advancing research opportunities to characterize the immune responses elicited by SARS-CoV-2 viral infection; understanding the mechanisms driving the serological, humoral and cellular immune responses; determining host, genetic, and environmental modifiers of the immune response; determining the serological correlates of disease pathogenesis and protection against future infection; defining access, communication, and implementation barriers related to SARS-CoV-2 serological testing. These U54 Centers will be part of a Serological Sciences Network (SeroNet). Other components of the Network will include Serological Sciences Research Projects (U01), the FNLCR Serology Laboratory, Serological Capacity Building Centers (CBC) and a Serological Sciences Network Coordinating Center (SSNCC) which will be managed through Frederick National Lab for Cancer Research (FNLCR), a Federally Funded Research and Development Center. It may also include SBIR grants and other grants and contracts related to serology associated with SARS-CoV-2. All components are expected to collaborate across the entire Network, sharing data, results, and reagents.
This FOA solicits multi-component U54 Center applications, whereas the companion FOA, RFA-CA-20-039, solicits applications for discrete U01 research projects. Successful applicants from both FOAs will become members of the Serological Sciences Network.