DOD, Peer Reviewed Alzheimer’s, Transforming Diagnosis Award | HT9425 23 PRARP TDA

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the PRARP Transforming Diagnosis Award (TDA)?

The Peer Reviewed Alzheimer's Research Program (PRARP) Transforming Diagnosis Award (TDA) is a Department of Defense funding opportunity focused on making Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease related dementias (AD/ADRD) diagnosis and prognosis meaningfully better in the near term. The emphasis is on practical improvements that can reach real-world use, rather than distant, exploratory research.

What is the main goal of this award?

The main goal is to improve real-world diagnosis, meaningful disease monitoring, and prognosis (the ability to predict outcomes) for AD/ADRD. Projects are expected to deliver tangible benefits for the people who use diagnostic and prognostic approaches in real life, especially people living with dementia and their families.

What does "Transforming Diagnosis" mean in this opportunity?

In this context, "transforming diagnosis" refers to research and development that improves how people obtain a timely and accurate diagnosis, how disease is monitored in a way that matters to patients and caregivers, and how well clinicians can predict disease course or outcomes (prognosis), with a clear path to near-term implementation.

What diseases or conditions are the focus of the award?

The award focuses on Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease related dementias (AD/ADRD).

What kinds of improvements is the program looking for?

The program is looking for improvements that make diagnosis and prognosis meaningfully better, including (as examples cited in the opportunity) improving access to diagnosis, improving monitoring in meaningful ways, and improving the accuracy of predictions about outcomes. The opportunity stresses practical impact over purely academic advances.

What does the opportunity mean by "diagnosis now"?

"Diagnosis now" means projects should be positioned for real-world implementation on a roughly three-to-five-year timeline. The intention is to accelerate progress toward actual uptake in communities and clinical practice, not only to generate publications.

How soon should results be ready for real-world use?

The opportunity emphasizes near-term applicability, with solutions aimed at real-world implementation within approximately three to five years.

Who are the intended end users of the work supported by this award?

The central expectation is that the work directly benefits people living with dementia and their families. The program highlights that impact should be meaningful for real end users, not only for researchers, institutions, or health systems.

What types of barriers are applicants expected to address?

Projects are expected to tackle major real-world barriers that prevent timely, accurate diagnosis and meaningful monitoring. The opportunity notes that barriers may be technical, clinical, social, or structural.

What are examples of real-world barriers mentioned in the announcement?

Examples include high cost, limited patient access to specialty care, gaps in patient and caregiver education, challenges integrating new tools into routine clinical workflows, uncertainty about how diagnostic measures relate to clinical outcomes, lack of biomarker validation, limitations of existing diagnostic technologies, and the absence of longitudinal data needed for prediction and prognosis.

How important is health equity in this funding opportunity?

Health equity is a major focus. The opportunity highlights barriers rooted in structural and social determinants of health that can lead to unequal access and unequal quality of diagnosis across populations. It also states that equitable and diverse inclusion is a high priority.

What does the award require regarding community partnership?

Every project must include a collaborative community partner approach. Investigators are expected to work alongside stakeholders such as individuals living with dementia, caregivers, and the communities where the research will take place, so the project reflects lived needs and real-world constraints.

Why does the opportunity require a community partner approach?

The opportunity emphasizes that diagnostic and prognostic tools only succeed if the people most affected trust them, understand them, and find them useful. Community partnership is intended to improve feasibility, acceptability, and the usefulness of outputs for real end users.

Is a community meeting required as part of the project?

Yes. The opportunity expects the investigator to hold a community meeting with a facilitated discussion within the first three quarters of the award period.

When must the required community meeting take place?

The community meeting is expected to occur within the first three quarters of the award period.

Who should participate in the community meeting?

The meeting should involve the intended research population and their community, and it is meant to actively shape how the research is executed.

What is the purpose of the required community meeting?

The purpose is to gather feedback that helps refine research questions, improve feasibility and acceptability, and inform how results will be shared and disseminated in ways that are understandable and actionable for the people who will use them.

Does the award require research involving human participants?

Yes. The award requires prospective recruitment and data collection involving human participants.

Is it enough to use existing datasets or previously collected samples?

No. While leveraging existing resources is encouraged, the project must include an element of new, prospectively collected human subjects data.

What are the expectations for the study population?

The study population must be representative and applicable to a diverse population. The opportunity indicates that equitable and diverse inclusion is a high priority, with the goal of ensuring advances are broadly beneficial and do not widen disparities.

Does the opportunity say anything about diversity in the research team?

Yes. The program signals that equitable and diverse inclusion is a high priority in both the study participants and the research team.

How many awards are expected to be made?

The posting anticipates making about two awards.

Who is the sponsoring agency for this opportunity?

The opportunity is run by the Department of Defense, specifically the Department of the Army, U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA).

What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?

The Funding Opportunity Number is HT9425-23-PRARP-TDA.

What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is listed under CFDA 12.420.

What type of funding mechanism is used?

The opportunity is offered as a discretionary program using cooperative agreements and grants.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to many entity types unless further limited by details in the full announcement.

What is the award ceiling?

The posting lists an award ceiling of 0. This often indicates the ceiling is defined elsewhere in the full solicitation or may vary by project scope, but the specific ceiling is not provided in the summary information here.

When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?

The original posting date was March 27, 2023, and the original closing date was July 10, 2023.

Is the program more focused on publishing research or on implementation?

The opportunity emphasizes implementation and community uptake. The intent is not simply to publish findings, but to move solutions toward real-world use as quickly as feasible, with a clear line of sight to improvements in diagnostic or prognostic practice.

What does the program consider "meaningful" monitoring?

The opportunity highlights monitoring that is meaningful for real end users (people living with dementia and their families). It frames meaningful monitoring as part of practical, near-term improvements, rather than monitoring that only benefits research workflows.

What does prognosis mean in the context of this award?

Prognosis refers to improving how accurately clinicians can predict outcomes, including using the kinds of data and tools that can support prediction and longer-term planning for individuals and families.

What is the overarching priority across all requirements?

Across the technical and administrative details, the consistent priority is practical, near-term improvement in diagnosis and prognosis that directly benefits people living with dementia and their families, supported by community partnership, prospective human data collection, and a strong emphasis on equity and broad applicability.