Stay informed with the May ORWH Pulse (2023)

National Institutes of Health - Office of Research on Women's Health sent this bulletin at 05/25/2023 11:15 AM EDT

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May 2023

Expanding Menopause Research to Advance the Health of All Women

In 1992, NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute launched the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), seeking to improve the health of women through research on prevention of serious health conditions in postmenopausal women. Over three decades later, WHI remains an extraordinary example of centering research around the health needs of women, and WHI research results “definitively established that menopausal hormone therapy should not be used to prevent heart disease, stroke, and other chronic disease." These results were practice-changing and led to a dramatic decline in the use of menopause hormone therapy (MHT).

Menopause is a natural and irreversible life course stage marked by the cessation of menstrual cycling for 12 consecutive months. Common symptoms associated with menopause include hot flashes, sleep disturbances, mood changes, headaches, and heart palpitations.

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ORWH Announces Formation of
New Office of Autoimmune Disease Research

On April 12, 2023, ORWH Director Janine A. Clayton, M.D., FARVO, announced the establishment of the NIH Office of Autoimmune Disease Research during the 58th Meeting of the Advisory Committee on Research on Women’s Health.

The creation of this office within ORWH was mandated by Congress in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117–328), stemming from recommendations in the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s 2022 report titled Enhancing NIH Research on Autoimmune Disease, which highlighted the need for greater coordination across NIH regarding autoimmune disease efforts.

“The congressional charge for ORWH to establish the Office of Autoimmune Disease Research is a cross-cutting effort,” Dr. Clayton notes. “ORWH is enthusiastic about the opportunity to lead the next chapter of autoimmune disease research at NIH, leveraging our ORWH perspective to complement, synergize with, and catalyze NIH Institute, Center, and Office (ICO) investments through integrative research approaches to accelerate progress in support of patients.”

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Read In the Spotlight Articles

NIH Selects Next Round of Winners in the
RADx® Tech for Maternal Health Challenge

NIH announced the next round of winners of its Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Technology (RADx® Tech) for Maternal Health Challenge—an $8 million prize competition to accelerate development of technologies to improve maternal health outcomes for those who live in areas lacking access to maternity care. The challenge seeks promising home-based or point-of-care diagnostic devices, wearables, and other remote sensing technologies to improve postpartum healthcare in these so-called “maternity care deserts,” which include urban and rural areas across the United States.

The 10 teams that have now advanced past the second Deep Dive Assessment Phase have each earned an additional $75,000 prize. These deep dive winners will undergo the final Technology Assessment Phase, during which each innovator team will continue developing their diagnostic technologies and leveraging NIH support to overcome technological, clinical, usability, regulatory, and commercialization hurdles. This final phase is composed of two stages—an initial interim milestone prize of $300,000 per winner and a final testing and verification prize of $500,000 per winner. Up to six challenge finalists are expected to be announced in March 2024.

RADx® Tech Deep Dive Winners

Entity/Team Name	Submission Name
CardieX	Expand care and reduce cardiovascular morbidity for post-partum women through non-invasive monitoring of central blood pressure using a novel dual blood pressure home monitor and wearable.
Caretaker Medical LLC	Maternal Health Monitoring with the Vitalstream
Dionysus Digital Health, Inc.	Prognosis PPD: Navigation of Maternal Mental Health Risk in the Postpartum Period using a Modular Antenatal Passive Digital Screening Tool and Combined Epigenetic Blood Test
HemoSonics, LLC	Rapid Point-Of-Care Diagnostic Device to Aid in the Management of Postpartum Hemorrhage
Global Access Diagnostics/Mologic, Inc.	At home urinary tract infection diagnostic
MyLÚA Health	An Artificially Intelligent Care Coordination Software System for Pregnancy and Postpartum Care Management
PyrAmes Inc.	Non-invasive, continuous blood pressure monitoring for postpartum maternal health
Sanguina, Inc.	AnemoCheck MyMobile for Maternal Health Anemia Management
Sibel Health	Comprehensive Postpartum Vital Sign Monitoring with Novel, Bio-integrated Wearable Technologies
Washington University in St. Louis	Maternal aRMOR: protection through early hemorrhage detection

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Opportunities and announcements - revised

Featured Announcement

Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): EXposome in Autoimmune Disease Collaborating Teams PLANning Awards (EXACT-PLAN) (Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
(NOT-OD-23-112)
Application due date: June 16, 2023

This NOSI invites applications for exploratory, early, and conceptual stage research projects aimed at the design, development, and implementation of a future national, interdisciplinary, collaborative, team science research network that will advance the study of the exposome in autoimmune diseases (Exposome in Autoimmune Diseases Collaborating Teams, EXACT).

This notice is a collaborative effort between ORWH, NIAMS, NIEHS and NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices engaged in autoimmune disease research. The research focus addresses one of the key gap areas identified by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) 2022 Report, Enhancing NIH Research on Autoimmune Disease. The objectives reflect the NASEM Report's emphasis on planning, collaboration, and innovation and address the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117-328) directives to the NIH Office of the Director, Office of Research in Women’s Health, to enhance coordination and collaboration regarding autoimmune disease research activities across Institutes and Centers.

Visit the funding opportunity page to learn more information, key dates, award and eligibility information, application and submission instructions, and contact information.

Advancing Gender Inclusive Excellence (AGIE) – Coordinating Center (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
(RFA-OD-23-004)
Application due date: May 31, 2023

Understanding Chronic Conditions Understudied Among Women (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
(RFA-OD-23-013)
Application due date: June 20, 2023

Understanding Chronic Conditions Understudied Among Women (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
(RFA-OD-23-014)
Application due date: June 20, 2023

Galvanizing Health Equity Through Novel and Diverse Educational Resources (GENDER) Research Education R25 (R25 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
(RFA-OD-22-015)
Letter of intent due: May 29, 2023
Application due date June 27, 2023

NOSI: Research to Improve Pre-Pregnancy Care and Enhance Healthy Birth Intervals
(NOT-HD-23-003)
Earliest submission date: June 5, 2023
Subsequent receipt dates through May 8, 2024

NOSI: EXposome in Autoimmune Disease Collaborating Teams PLANning Awards (EXACT-PLAN) (Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
(NOT-OD-23-112)
Application due date: June 16, 2023

Additional Funding Opportunities