Bridging Gaps in Advancing Human Skeletal Muscle Regeneration

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for an MDA research grant, an applicant must:
1. Hold a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) or equivalent degree (i.e. D.O.);
2. Be a professional or faculty member (Professor, Associate Professor or Assistant Professor) at an appropriate US or non-US based educational, medical or research institution. Applicants with nontraditional positions/titles (such Group Leader, Research Scientist, or Instructor etc.) should contact the grants manager ehabeeblouks@mdausa.org to confirm eligibility;
3. Be qualified to conduct a program of original research within their own laboratory;
4. Have an independent research plan for a specific disease in MDA's portfolio;
5. Assume both administrative and financial responsibility for the grant;
6. Have access to institutional resources necessary to conduct the proposed research project; and
7. An investigator may only apply once per grant type (such as Research Grant, Idea, etc.) per cycle as the PI on the application.
8. By the application deadline, applicants must be in compliance with MDA’s Good Standing policy and be up to
date on any delinquent or incomplete grant deliverable from previously awarded grants. See MDA Research Department Grant Policy Manual for details. 

Summary

On July 19, 2024, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) joined with partners in the advocacy field (AFM Telethon, Cure Duchenne, Cure Rare Disease, FSHD Society, Jain Foundation, Muscular Dystrophy Australia, RYR-1 Foundation, SMA Foundation and Solve FSHD) to host a summit on muscle regeneration. The summit provided a focused opportunity for leading muscle biology experts to identify and discuss current hurdles and new strategies that can benefit people struggling with advanced muscle weakness and degeneration. The main challenges and opportunities raised by experts at our summit can be categorized into the following areas:

• Translational gap from mouse to human
• Lack of access to patient biospecimens for studies of regeneration
• Gaps in knowledge of how healthy muscles develop and regenerate
• Biomarkers and clinical read-outs of regeneration to measure in clinical trials

This RFA aims to catalyze research that addresses these critical areas, fostering collaborations that bridge basic science and clinical application.

Research Focus Areas

Applicants are encouraged to propose projects that align with one or more of the following focus areas. Studies that utilize human-derived materials or can demonstrate clinical translatability are preferred.

Improve understanding of regeneration in skeletal muscle tissue

• Study the time course and kinetics of muscle regeneration following controlled injury or degeneration in healthy and/or diseased human tissue.
• Analyze muscle tissue to map regenerative processes at the fiber, cellular and nuclear level; bridging findings in preclinical models to humans
• Examine how different neuromuscular diseases and genetics affect regenerative capacity in humans.
• Investigate the role of the muscle matrix, including fibrotic and fatty tissue components, in supporting or hindering regeneration in neuromuscular disease.
• Analyze the influence of soluble factors and surrounding fluids on muscle stem cell activity and differentiation.
• Develop and utilize humanized models of muscle regeneration that better reflect human physiology and disease progression.

Establishing Biomarkers and Clinically Translatable Outcome Measures

• Investigate advanced imaging modalities (e.g. MRI, MSOT) to monitor and visualize cell engraftment and/or muscle regeneration.
• Define biomarkers that reflect different phases of muscle regeneration and/or engraftment for cell therapies.
• Investigate the utility of fine needle aspirates, biofluids, and non-invasive imaging as alternatives to muscle biopsies in studies of muscle regeneration.

Overhead

Indirect costs are limited to a maximum of 10% of all direct costs. 

Pre-application deadlines

RSO internal deadline

Pre-application program deadline

Application deadlines

RSO detailed review deadline

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Postdocs, students, and trainees: For fellowships and externally-sponsored research training awards or opportunities, you must complete the Research Funding Application Approval (RFAA) Trainee PDF form, and submit it, along with a complete copy of the application, to Research Services at rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca. Trainees should not use RMS at this time.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.

Application Instructions:

• The LOI must be submitted online via ProposalCentral and include the following:
  o Project title;
  o Resubmission status;
  o Applicant and institution information (to determine eligibility);
   
• LOI Research Plan (two pages, size 11 Times New Roman Font, MDA template required);
  o Background
  o Overview of Project (high level description of project, method and goals)
  o Specific Aims (include preliminary data if available)
  o Timeline (project how aims will be completed in a 2-year timeframe)
  o Significance and Innovation
  o References are not required but if included must fit within the 2-page LOI Research Plan limit.
   
• Abstract, Impact Statement, Disease area, and Research Category;
• A PI biosketch (not to exceed five pages in length, template provided)
• (Non-traditional applicants only) Support letter from institution department chair to confirm eligibility, independence, and access to resources to conduct the research project. 

Please see full application instructions for complete submission guidelines. 

Additional Resources

Using RMS:

RMS: Creating a Pre-Award LOI

RMS: Creating a Pre-Award Application

Support for projects involving Indigenous Research:

Support with the development of your grant application is available internally through the Indigenous Research Support Team (IRST). Applicants can reach out by email to IRST at IRST@ucalgary.ca in advance of the RSO internal deadline. For more information about IRST, please visit the IRST webpage.

Support for Knowledge Engagement:

Support for knowledge mobilization/engagement/translation is available internally through the Knowledge Engagement Team. Applicants can reach out by email to the KE team at knowledge.engagement@ucalgary.ca in advance of the RSO internal deadline. For more information, please visit the KE team webpage.

Support for Research Data Management:

For information on research data management plans, processes, or best practices for your research program, please contact research.data@libanswers.ucalgary.com and/or visit https://libguides.ucalgary.ca/researchdatamanagement.

Support for EDI in Research:

RSO can provide resources and support to research teams on the integration of equitable and inclusive practices in research design and research practice. Contact Erin.OToole@ucalgary.ca for more information.