Deadline: 20-Sep-2025
The National Institute on Aging is inviting applications for an exploratory grant program focused on developing sophisticated in vitro models that replicate the aging processes of mammalian tissues.
This opportunity encourages interdisciplinary research to design three-dimensional microphysiological systems—such as tissue-on-chip platforms and organoids—that reflect aging phenotypes observed in living organisms.
The initiative seeks proposals that break new ground by modeling human aging using cells derived from human donors. These models should accurately reflect molecular, cellular, or physiological features of aging. When relevant and justified, researchers may also use nonhuman mammalian cells for benchmarking, ensuring the relevance of comparative systems for human biology.
This grant supports high-risk, high-reward exploratory science without requiring preliminary data, promoting innovation that may transform aging research. Applicants are expected to build teams that combine expertise in aging biology, stem cell science, tissue physiology, bioengineering, microfluidics, computational biology, pharmacology, and biostatistics. Proposed systems should define and recapitulate aging-related features with clear metrics and justify their translational value for drug discovery.
Funding up to $275,000 in direct costs is available over a two-year project period, capped at $200,000 per year. For fiscal year 2026, the program will award up to 10 grants, with application submissions opening on September 20, 2025 and the earliest project start expected in March or May 2026.
A diverse range of eligible organizations can apply, including universities, nonprofit institutions, for-profit entities, local and tribal governments, housing authorities, faith-based and community organizations, and regional groups. Only domestic institutions may apply; foreign entities or non-U.S. components of U.S. organizations are not eligible.
This exploratory opportunity offers researchers the chance to pioneer in vitro aging models that could revolutionize their understanding of human aging and facilitate more predictive, human-relevant experimental platforms.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
