| P063P250183↗ | Department of Education | TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY | DIRECT PAYMENT FOR SPECIFIED USE, AS A SUBSIDY OR OTHER NON-REIMBURSABLE DIRECT FINANCIAL AID (C) | 2025-10-01 | 2026-09-23 | 157 | GRANT PROGRAM | $14.19M |
| UC7AI095321↗ | Department of Health and Human Services | TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY | COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT (B) | 2026-04-21 | 2026-08-20 | 3 | BOSTON UNIVERSITY NATIONAL EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES LABORATORIES - OVERALL ABSTRACT THE BOSTON UNIVERSITY (BU) NATIONAL EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES LABORATORIES (NEIDL) IS A NATIONAL BIOCONTAINMENT RESOURCE HOUSING BSL-4 LABORATORIES WITHIN ONE OF THE MOST DENSELY CONCENTRATED BIOMEDICAL ECOSYSTEMS IN THE UNITED STATES. LOCATED ON THE BU MEDICAL CAMPUS, ADJACENT TO THE CHOBANIAN & AVEDISIAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, AND BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER, THE NEIDL IS UNIQUELY POSITIONED TO INTEGRATE CUTTING-EDGE SCIENCE WITH TRAINING, SAFETY, AND TRANSLATIONAL READINESS. LOCATED WITHIN BOSTON’S VIBRANT BIOMEDICAL HUB AND SURROUNDED BY LEADING ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS, PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES, AND RESEARCH HOSPITALS, THE NEIDL LEVERAGES STRONG NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS TO PLAY A CENTRAL ROLE IN ADVANCING THE UNDERSTANDING OF HIGH-CONSEQUENCE PATHOGENS AND CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF COUNTERMEASURES IN THE U.S. AND GLOBALLY. THE NEIDL’S MISSION IS IMPLEMENTED THROUGH FOUR INTERRELATED AIMS: (1) PROVIDE EDUCATION AND BEST PRACTICES TRAINING TO DEVELOP THE NEXT GENERATION OF PROFESSIONALS CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING NEIDL OPERATIONS AND NATIONAL RESPONSE EFFORTS; (2) SUSTAIN THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND TECHNICAL AND INTELLECTUAL EXPERTISE REQUIRED TO SAFELY STUDY HIGH-CONSEQUENCE PATHOGENS; (3) PERFORM INNOVATIVE BASIC AND TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH TO DEVELOP DIAGNOSTICS, TREATMENTS, AND VACCINES THAT PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH; AND (4) UPHOLD A CULTURE OF SAFETY, BIOSECURITY, COMMUNITY TRUST, AND TRANSPARENT COMMUNICATION. THESE AIMS FUNCTION AS A COHESIVE SYSTEM: SAFETY AND TRAINING (AIM 1) ENABLE RELIABLE READINESS AND INFRASTRUCTURE (AIM 2); INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORTS TRANSLATIONAL AND REGULATORY SCIENCE (AIM 3); AND TRANSPARENCY AND OUTREACH (AIM 4) SUSTAIN PUBLIC TRUST. THESE OBJECTIVES ARE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH NEIDL FACULTY LED RESEARCH PROGRAMS WHICH IS SUPPORTED BY EACH OF FIVE INTEGRATED OPERATIONAL CORES: BIOSECURITY, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND BIOSAFETY REGULATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS (EHBRR), FACILITY MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS (FMO), REGULATORY COMPLIANCE (RC), AND INTEGRATED SUPPORT SERVICES (ISS). EACH CORE IS COORDINATED BY THE ADMINISTRATIVE CORE, WHICH PROVIDES OVERARCHING LEADERSHIP, STRATEGY, SUPPORTS REGULATORY OVERSIGHT AND INSTITUTIONAL INTEGRATION. TOGETHER, THESE CORES SUSTAIN OPERATIONAL READINESS, ENSURE REGULATORY COMPLIANCE, AND SUPPORT BASIC AND TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH AIMED AT UNDERSTANDING HIGH-CONSEQUENCE PATHOGENS AND DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE COUNTERMEASURES WHILE CULTIVATING A HIGHLY SKILLED WORKFORCE THAT ENSURES THE U.S. MAINTAINS THE SCIENTIFIC, TECHNOLOGICAL, AND OPERATIONAL CAPACITY TO RESPOND RAPIDLY AND EFFECTIVELY TO EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND BIODEFENSE CHALLENGES. | $11.50M |
| 75A50122C00028↗ | Department of Health and Human Services | TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY | DEFINITIVE CONTRACT | 2026-04-28 | 2026-04-28 | 1 | CARB-X GLOBAL ANTIBACTERIAL ACCELERATOR OTA - UPDATE PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE | $10.78M |
| P063P260183↗ | Department of Education | TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY | DIRECT PAYMENT FOR SPECIFIED USE, AS A SUBSIDY OR OTHER NON-REIMBURSABLE DIRECT FINANCIAL AID (C) | 2026-08-20 | 2026-09-30 | 24 | GRANT PROGRAM | $10.47M |
| U19AG076471↗ | Department of Health and Human Services | TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY | COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT (B) | 2025-12-09 | 2026-04-28 | 3 | NOVEL INSIGHTS INTO OSTEOARTHRITIS, PAIN AND FUNCTION: MOST4 - OVERALL ABSTRACT THE MULTICENTER OSTEOARTHRITIS (MOST) STUDY HAS BEEN A MAJOR SOURCE OF NEW KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE COURSE OF OA AND FACTORS THAT AFFECT IT, HAVING PUBLISHED OVER 180 ARTICLES RANGING FROM STUDIES OF PAIN AND PAIN SENSITIZATION, TO INVESTIGATIONS OF BIOMECHANICS, TO INQUIRIES INTO STRUCTURAL JOINT PATHOLOGY AS VISUALIZED BY MRI, AND TO STUDIES OF DECLINE IN FUNCTION, BUCKLING AND FALLS, AMONG OTHERS. THE INITIAL COHORT ENROLLED 3026 PARTICIPANTS WITH OR AT RISK OF KNEE OA; A NEW COHORT CONSISTING OF 1525 SUBJECTS WAS RECRUITED AT THE LAST CYCLE (MOST3) WHO WERE SLIGHTLY YOUNGER AND UNLIKELY TO HAVE ADVANCED DISEASE. WE WILL RECRUIT AN ADDITIONAL 450 PARTICIPANTS FROM A BROAD RANGE OF BACKGROUNDS FOR A TOTAL PROJECTED SAMPLE SIZE OF 2293 IN THIS NEXT CYCLE OF MOST (MOST4). IN ADDITION TO ITS SCIENTIFIC OUTPUT, THE STUDY HAS BEEN REMARKABLE IN RECRUITING AND ENCOURAGING TALENTED YOUNG INVESTIGATORS TO TAKE ON CAREER DEFINING INVESTIGATIONS WITHIN MOST, HAVING SERVED AS THE BASIS FOR 31 CAREER DEVELOPMENT AWARDS. OUR OVERALL GOAL IS TO ADVANCE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF OA AND ITS CONSEQUENCES TO OPEN DOORS TO NEW TREATMENT APPROACHES INCLUDING STRATIFIED APPROACHES TO TREATMENTS. WE WILL USE AN INTEGRATED APPROACH IN THE NEXT CYCLE OF MOST (MOST4) OVERSEEN BY AN ADMINISTRATIVE CORE, INVOLVING A CLINICAL DATA COLLECTION AND MANAGEMENT CORE, ANALYSIS CORE, AND IMAGING CORE, WITH GUIDANCE FROM AN OBSERVATIONAL SAFETY MONITORING BOARD AND INPUT FROM A COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD, TO EFFICIENTLY ADDRESS KEY KNOWLEDGE GAPS THROUGH THE CONDUCT OF THREE PROJECTS. OUR SPECIFIC AIMS ARE TO: 1. EVALUATE IMPAIRED EXERCISE-INDUCED HYPOALGESIA (EIH) IN KNEE OA, EVALUATE THE RELATION OF NERVOUS SYSTEM ALTERATIONS TO EIH, AND DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF EIH ON PAIN, FUNCTION, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND FEAR-AVOIDANCE RELATED TO EXERCISE (PROJECT 1); 2. CARRY OUT PROTEOMICS ANALYSIS OF SYNOVIAL FLUID TO DETERMINE NETWORKS OF PROTEINS ASSOCIATED WITH GENERALIZED VS. LOCALIZED OA, PAIN AND DISEASE PROGRESSION (PROJECT 2); 3. DIFFERENTIATE TYPES OF CALCIUM CRYSTALS DEPOSITED IN THE JOINT AND, FOR EACH OF THEM, UNDERSTAND THE CLINICAL AND STRUCTURAL CONSEQUENCES OF CRYSTAL DEPOSITION (PROJECT 3); 4. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF COMPREHENSIVE LONGITUDINAL DATA ALREADY COLLECTED IN MOST TO ADDRESS A WIDE RANGE OF QUESTIONS RELATED TO OA AND ITS IMPACT ON OUTCOMES; 5. BRING A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO BEAR ON THIS COMPLEX DISEASE AND OFFER CAREER DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO INVESTIGATORS INCLUDING PILOT PROJECT GRANTS IN THIS UNDERSTUDIED CONDITION. MOST4 WILL INTRODUCE NEW APPROACHES TO UNDERSTANDING DISEASE AND WILL CONTINUE TO COMPREHENSIVELY ASSESS PAIN, STRUCTURAL, AND FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES SO THAT THE SPECIFIC EFFECTS OF THE FACTORS PROPOSED IN THE PROJECTS AND OTHER RISK FACTORS CAN BE EXAMINED. THIS WORK WILL PRODUCE NEW ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS REGARDING PAIN, STRUCTURAL DETERIORATION AND FUNCTION LOSS IN KNEE OA. | $9.29M |
| 75N92025F00001↗ | Department of Health and Human Services | TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY | DELIVERY ORDER | 2026-01-29 | 2026-01-29 | 1 | FRAMINGHAM HEART STUDY (FHS), TASK AREA A - CORE STUDY OPERATIONS | $7.08M |
| P01AG082653↗ | Department of Health and Human Services | TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY | PROJECT GRANT (B) | 2026-08-26 | 2026-08-26 | 1 | IMPROVING CAUSAL INFERENCE IN ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE PREVENTION RESEARCH ON MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS: THE TRIANGULATION OF INNOVATIVE METHODS TO ENDAD (TIME-AD) PROJECT - RESEARCH ON ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE RELATED DEMENTIAS (AD/ADRD) HAS IDENTIFIED SEVERAL PROMISING RISK FACTORS WHICH COULD GUIDE STRATEGIES TO PREVENT UP TO 40% OF AD/ADRD. NEARLY ALL PRIOR EVIDENCE RELIES ON OBSERVATIONAL DATA, WHICH IS PRONE TO BIASES FROM UNMEASURED CONFOUNDING, REVERSE CAUSATION, SELECTIVE SURVIVAL, AND MEASUREMENT ERROR. THE TRIANGULATION OF INNOVATIVE METHODS TO END AD (TIME-AD) PROGRAM ADDRESSES THESE CHALLENGES BY USING AN EVIDENCE TRIANGULATION FRAMEWORK FOR STRENGTHENING CAUSAL INFERENCE IN OBSERVATIONAL DATA. THIS FRAMEWORK SYSTEMATICALLY EVALUATES BIASES, PLANNING COMPLEMENTARY ANALYSIS APPROACHES WITH DIFFERENT DATA SOURCES AND STUDY DESIGNS TO RULE OUT ALTERNATIVE INTERPRETATIONS FOR THE ASSOCIATION OF EACH RISK FACTOR AND AD/ADRD: A) DOUBLY ROBUST OBSERVATIONAL METHODS COMBINING PROPENSITY SCORE MODELS WITH OUTCOME MODELS; B) INSTRUMENTAL VARIABLES (IV) METHODS USING GENETIC AND POLICY VARIATIONS THAT INTRODUCE RANDOM VARIATION IN EXPOSURE; AND C) QUANTITATIVE BIAS ANALYSIS TO CHARACTERIZE UNCERTAINTY. PROJECT 1 WILL ADDRESS THE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL USE ACROSS THE LIFECOURSE ON COGNITIVE AGING AND AD/ADRD RISK. PROJECT 2 WILL EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF DEPRESSION AND DEPRESSION TREATMENT ON AD/ADRD RISK AND POSSIBLE DIRECT AND MODIFYING ROLES OF CHRONIC PAIN. PROJECT 3 WILL ASSESS WHETHER AD/ADRD RISK MAY BE REDUCED BY PREVENTION OR TREATMENT OF VISION OR HEARING IMPAIRMENTS. PROJECT 4 WILL ASSESS THE IMPACTS OF SOCIAL ISOLATION, FOCUSING ON COMPONENTS OF SOCIAL ISOLATION THAT ARE MODIFIABLE WITH EXISTING INTERVENTIONS. THE CURRENT PROPOSALS WILL EXTEND OUR CURRENT KNOWLEDGE BY FOCUSING ON CAUSATION, INCLUDING LARGE, HETEROGENOUS SAMPLES, AND RIGOROUSLY EVALUATING HETEROGENEITY ACROSS POPULATIONS. IN ADDITION TO AN ADMINISTRATIVE CORE, PROJECTS WILL BE SUPPORTED BY A COGNITIVE OUTCOMES, EXPOSURE VARIABLES, AND COVARIATES DATA CORE, WHICH WILL HELP THE INTENSIVE DATA MANAGEMENT INVOLVED IN CONSTRUCTING ANALYTIC DATA SETS AND FOSTER HARMONIZED MEASURES AND COORDINATED ANALYSES, DRAWING ON MULTIPLE DATA SOURCES TO SUPPORT EVIDENCE TRIANGULATION. A GENETIC AND POLICY DATA CORE WILL BRING SPECIALIZED EXPERTISE ON GENETICS, POLICIES, AND IV ANALYSIS, PROVIDING CODE TO CONSTRUCT, VALIDATE, AND IMPLEMENT IV ANALYSES. AN ANALYTICS CORE WILL DEVELOP AND SHARE REUSABLE ANALYTIC CODE AND SUPPORT IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MOST UP-TO- DATE METHODOLOGY; AND A MAXIMIZING POPULATION IMPACT CORE WILL WORK WITH ALL COMPONENTS TO MAXIMIZE THE RELEVANCE OF OUR FINDINGS TO IMPROVE OUTCOMES ACROSS ALL OLDER ADULTS AND FOR POPULATIONS TYPICALLY AT ELEVATED RISK OF AD/ADRD. THE MAXIMIZING POPULATION IMPACT CORE WILL ENSURE THAT RESEARCH IMPLEMENTATION IS GUIDED BY POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS OF THE EVIDENCE AND THAT THE FINDINGS OF EACH STUDY ARE BROADLY DISSEMINATED TO CONSTITUENCIES WHO CAN ACT ON THE EVIDENCE. THE SYNERGIES CREATED BY SHARED CORES WITH EXPERTISE IN DATA, ANALYSIS, AND DISSEMINATION ENSURE THAT TIME-AD WILL HAVE HIGH IMPACT. | $6.45M |
| U19AG068753↗ | Department of Health and Human Services | TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY | COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT (B) | 2026-04-10 | 2026-07-31 | 4 | PRECISION MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT IN THE FRAMINGHAM STUDY: COGNITIVE, MRI, GENETIC AND BIOMARKER PRECURSORS OF AD & DEMENTIA - SINCE 1976, THE FRAMINGHAM HEART STUDY (FHS) HAS SURVEILLED PARTICIPANTS FOR INCIDENT DEMENTIA, INITIALLY, IN THE GENERATION 1 PARTICIPANTS, STARTING 1979 IN THE GENERATION 2 COHORTS AND IN 1994 WITH THE SMALLER MULTI-ETHNIC OMNI GENERATION 1 COHORT. AS THE OLDEST OF THE GENERATION 3 AND OMNI GENERATION 2 MOVE INTO THE AGE OF DEMENTIA RISK, WE EXTENDED SURVEILLANCE TO THESE TWO YOUNGER COHORTS. BASELINE AND REPEAT NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL (NP) ASSESSMENTS AND BRAIN MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI) SCANS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED SINCE 1999 ON THE GEN 1, GEN 2 AND OMNIGEN 2 COHORTS AND SINCE 2008 WITH THE YOUNGER COHORTS. IMPORTANTLY, OVER NEARLY 7 DECADES, FHS HAS COLLECTED MANY CO- MORBID FEATURES LINKED TO FUTURE RISK OF LATE LIFE COGNITIVE DECLINE AND DEMENTIA ACROSS THESE COHORTS WHEN THEY WERE EARLY TO MIDDLE AGE. COMPLEMENTING THE HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE DATA IS THE AVAILABILITY OF GENETIC AND PERIPHERAL BIOMARKER DATA. FURTHER, BEGINNING IN 2005, DIGITAL CAPTURE OF SPOKEN RESPONSES WAS ADDED TO NP TESTING. THIS WAS EXTENDED TO WRITTEN RESPONSES IN 2011, ALLOWING QUANTIFICATION OF SPOKEN AND WRITTEN RESPONSES AT LEVELS OF GRANULARITY THAT CAN DETECT PRECLINICAL COGNITIVE CHANGES THAT TRADITIONAL NP TEST SCORES CANNOT MEASURE. PREVIOUSLY, WE HAVE CAPITALIZED ON THE MULTI-GENERATION UNIQUENESS USING GENOME-WIDE APPROACHES TO DISCERN NOVEL GENETIC ASSOCIATIONS FOR AD RISK AND AD-RELATED TRAITS THAT WERE NOT IDENTIFIED IN DATASETS UP TO 20 TIMES LARGER. THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THIS FHS BRAIN AGING PROGRAM (FHS-BAP) IS TO CONTINUE DEMENTIA SURVEILLANCE, EXTEND LONGITUDINAL CHARACTERIZATION OF COGNITIVE PHENOTYPES AND BRAIN STRUCTURE, BRING ADDED RESOURCES TO THE BRAIN DONATION PROGRAM INCLUDING NEUROPATHOLOGICAL EXAMINATION, IN THE FHS COHORTS IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY NEW AND EXPAND ON KNOWN AD-RELATED GENETIC AND OTHER RISK FACTORS AND BIOMARKERS AND TO PURSUE INNOVATIVE RESEARCH ABOUT THE VASCULAR AND INFLAMMATORY BASIS OF AD. ANOTHER CENTRAL OBJECTIVE OF FHS-BAP IS TO FACILITATE MORE WIDESPREAD SHARING OF THIS EXTRAORDINARY AD DATA RESOURCE WITH THE BROADER SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY. UNDER A NEW ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE, ADMINISTRATIVE, CLINICAL, NEUROPATHOLOGY AND DATA CORES WILL PROVIDE A FORMAL MANAGEMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE TO CONTINUE INCIDENT DEMENTIA SURVEILLANCE, NP AND MRI ASSESSMENTS OF SURVIVING PARTICIPANTS OF ALL FHS COHORTS, AND PERFORM NEUROPATHOLOGICAL EXAMINATION OF BRAINS OBTAINED THROUGH THE FHS BRAIN DONATION PROGRAM. THE FHS-BAP WILL FEATURE THREE INTER-RELATED PROJECTS THAT HAVE A FOCUS ON VASCULAR AND INFLAMMATORY CONTRIBUTORS TO AD. ONE PROJECT WILL IDENTIFY FACTORS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH AD RISK AND RESILIENCE USING LONGITUDINAL ANALYSES OF FHS DATA INCLUDING GENETIC, VARIOUS `OMIC GENETIC, CLINICAL, IMAGING, LIFESTYLE AND OTHER TRAITS. A SECOND PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE THE LINK BETWEEN AD GENETIC VULNERABILITIES AND CHRONIC PERIPHERAL INFLAMMATION. A THIRD PROJECT WILL DETERMINE GENETIC AND PROTEIN ALTERATIONS OF COMPLEMENT-RELATED GENES AND GLIAL CELL PHENOTYPES THAT MODULATE COGNITIVE TRAJECTORIES AND NEUROPATHOLOGICAL PROFILES. FINALLY, THIS PROGRAM WILL PROMOTE USING FHS-BAP DATA, ESPECIALLY BY EARLY-STAGE AND NON-AD INVESTIGATORS THROUGH A PILOT PROJECTS PROGRAM AND THROUGH ENHANCED AND PROACTIVE DATA SHARING EFFORTS. | $6.30M |