Effects of In Utero Alcohol Exposure on Adult Health and Disease (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional) | PA 18 507

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 507

The NIH National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) grant opportunity titled "Effects of In Utero Alcohol Exposure on Adult Health and Disease" (Funding Opportunity Number PA-18-507) supports R01 research projects that explore how alcohol exposure during pregnancy can shape health risks much later in life. The scientific premise is rooted in the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) framework, which argues that conditions in the womb can trigger fetal adaptations that may be helpful for short-term survival but increase susceptibility to disease in childhood, adolescence, or adulthood. In practical terms, this FOA is looking for studies that treat prenatal alcohol exposure not only as a cause of early developmental problems, but also as a potential contributor to chronic diseases and long-term health conditions that may not emerge until decades later.

The FOA emphasizes three main research directions. First, it encourages researchers to use and extend existing prospective birth cohorts to better define how maternal alcohol consumption fits into the DOHaD process. This means taking advantage of cohorts that already have prenatal exposure data, biospecimens, and follow-up health information across the lifespan, and then analyzing whether and how prenatal alcohol exposure predicts later outcomes. Second, it calls for mechanistic research that digs into the biological, cellular, and molecular pathways by which gestational alcohol exposure might alter long-term physiology. This could include work on metabolic programming, cardiovascular function, immune and inflammatory regulation, endocrine signaling, neurodevelopmental trajectories tied to later disease vulnerability, epigenetic modifications, organ development, or other durable changes that connect prenatal exposure to adult pathology. Third, the FOA seeks biomarker discovery and validation studies aimed at identifying measurable indicators of alcohol exposure during gestation that could help predict disease susceptibility later in life among exposed offspring. The underlying idea is to move toward earlier detection and risk stratification, potentially enabling prevention or targeted monitoring long before chronic disease becomes clinically obvious.

Because the mechanism is an R01, the program is geared toward substantial, hypothesis-driven projects that can generate high-impact, generalizable findings. The FOA is labeled "Clinical Trial Optional," meaning applicants may propose clinical trials if appropriate, but they are not required to do so; both observational human studies and mechanistic biomedical studies can fit, as long as the central focus is on prenatal alcohol exposure and later-life health and disease risk. Overall, NIAAA is signaling interest in work that connects prenatal exposure to real-world adult outcomes, clarifies causal and biological pathways, and produces tools (like biomarkers) that could eventually support screening, prevention, or intervention strategies.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations. Eligible applicants listed for the opportunity include state, county, city, township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The FOA also highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), faith-based and community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and foreign (non-U.S.) entities.

Administrative details provided in the posting indicate it is a discretionary grant in the health funding area (CFDA 93.273) administered under the National Institutes of Health. The opportunity was created on December 18, 2017, and the original closing date listed is January 7, 2021. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided summary, which is common for some NIH FOAs where funding decisions depend on application volume, merit, and available appropriations. The main takeaway is that this FOA is designed to spur rigorous, forward-looking research that links prenatal alcohol exposure to adult chronic disease risk, using a mix of cohort-based human research, mechanistic science, and biomarker development to strengthen the evidence base for a fetal origin contribution to later-life health outcomes influenced by maternal alcohol use.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Effects of In Utero Alcohol Exposure on Adult Health and Disease (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.273.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-12-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-01-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

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