The NIH seeks applicants for Phase 1 of the Targeted Genome Editor Delivery (TARGETED) Challenge. The competition aims to improve the current state of in vivo delivery technologies for genome editors into somatic cells. Learn more about the program in the upcoming informational webinar outlined below.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced the launch of the Targeted Genome Editor Delivery (TARGETED) Challenge, with a total of a $6,000,000 purse for a three-phase competition aimed at improving the state of in vivo delivery technologies for genome editors in two Target Areas:
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Programmable Delivery System for Gene Editing: programmable delivery systems to deliver genome editing machinery that can target specific tissues or cell types.
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Crossing the Blood-Brain Barrier: highly efficient non-viral delivery systems capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to deliver genome editing machinery to a substantial proportion of clinically relevant cell types in the central nervous system (CNS).
The TARGETED Challenge is part of the funded by the NIH Common Fund and co-managed by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The NIH BRAIN Initiative, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) are also contributors to this Challenge.
The NIH is currently seeking participants to submit their proposal in Phase 1 with the chance to win up to $1,000,000. Participants will have their solution independently tested and validated in large animal models through NIH-supported independent evaluation relevant to preclinical assessments of investigational products. Participants can submit proposals for both Target Areas but must address them independently in separate submissions. The deadline to submit Phase 1 proposals is October 5, 2023. For further details about the TARGETED Challenge, including rules and eligibility requirements, click here.
In addition, NIH Staff will host an informational webinar on June 1, 2023, at 12 p.m. ET to answer questions related to the Challenge. Register here to save your spot.
Please direct all inquiries about the TARGETED Challenge to Targeted_Challenge@freelancer.com.