Opening date: 14 December 2007

Which are the Research Objectives of this FOA?

The goal of this solicitation is to move the field of biomedical computational modeling forward through the development of more realistic and predictive models of health and disease.  NIH recognizes the need for sophisticated, predictive, computational models of development and disease that encompass multiple biological scales. [...]  Specifically this FOA seeks the development of biomedical models that are:

• multiscale: This FOA seeks the development of mathematical and computational models that must incorporate substantial representations of the underlying biological mechanisms from at least two biological scales and at least one linkage between scales. These multiscale biomedical models may also include dynamical processes which span multiple time and length scales.
• predictive: This FOA seeks the development of models that can quantifiably predict biomedical and behavioral processes in health and disease states.  Predictive models of health should be developed to inform models of disease states.
• higher scales of the physiome: Models at higher scales of the physiome represent multi-cell systems, tissue, organ, multi-organ systems, organism structure and function, population and behavior. Examples of higher levels of the physiome to be included in the models sought by this FOA (examples at increasing physiome scales): Cell interactions with its environment (e.g. cell–extracellular matrix, targeted delivery); Cell-cell communication; Tissue structure and function; Organ structure and function; Systemic and system scale (e.g. inflammation, physiological control); Organism scale (e.g. behavior, brain-computer interfaces); Population scale (e.g. microbiome, population models of disease).

Applicant Guide