Pilot Projects for a Human Cell Atlas

About this funding opportunity

This RFA closed on April 17, 2017

SCIENCE GRANT RESOURCES PAGE Pilot Projects for a Human Cell Atlas

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative invites applications for one-year pilot projects to develop technologies for the Human Cell Atlas, establish best practices in the field, and begin a common data archive for analysis and investigation.

The goal of the international Human Cell Atlas project is to create a reference atlas of all cells in the healthy human body as a resource for studies of health and disease. As part of this effort, CZI seeks applications to support the Human Cell Atlas community’s convergence around standards, protocols, and best practices for the creation of a freely and openly available reference database of healthy human cells and tissues. Learn about our grantees and read our Medium post").

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For administrative and programmatic inquiries, technical assistance, or other questions pertaining to this RFA, please contact sciencegrants@chanzuckerberg.com. Key Dates

March 15, 2017

Application portal is open for registrations and applications

April 17, 2017

Applications due by 5:00 PM PT

June 15, 2017

Earliest notification of decisions (subject to change)

Aug 1, 2017

Earliest start date of pilot project (subject to change)

Award period and start date: Proposed pilot projects should be one year in duration with a projected start date of no earlier than August 1, 2017. Actual start date may vary. Project Specifications

We expect the reference Cell Atlas to ultimately include a variety of data types, including single-cell RNA sequencing, in situ hybridization imaging, proteomics, metabolomics, epigenetic information, low- and high-resolution images of biological samples, and more. For the initial phases of the project, we are especially interested in groups that can help evaluate protocols and best practices for the collection of single-cell molecular data, ideally by directly comparing multiple approaches to tissue preparation, data generation, or data analysis.

Example pilot project goals might include, but are not limited to: Systematic comparisons of tissue preparation and preservation, sample handling, and cell dissociation approaches for a variety of human tissues and organs. Systematic comparisons of sequencing technologies, protocols, and resulting datasets. Evaluation of experimental replicability, including comparing different experimental procedures within the same lab, and similar procedures across labs. Comparison of image-based approaches, such as single-molecule fluorescent in situ hybridization imaging (smFISH), with sequencing-based approaches. Comparison of different multiplexing strategies for image-based approaches. Evaluating suitability of experimental strategies to different computational pipelines. Evaluation of biological replicability depending on donor age, sex, or tissue type. Evaluation of multiple tissues from one individual, compared to different individuals. Generation of new benchmark or validation datasets.

We are primarily interested in assembling a broad and biologically compelling set of human tissues for the reference atlas, but in this pilot phase, we will also consider proposals for obtaining data from cell lines, organoids, or non-human animals. Project Requirements

As a method of accelerating scientific discovery, CZI supports a consent, sharing, and publication policy for open and rapid dissemination of research results.

All human tissue for the reference atlas must be fully consented upon collection to enable open sharing of the resulting data in accordance with laws and regulatory requirements. Appropriate documentation of consents will be required prior to an award for this pilot project RFA, but is not required for the initial stage of the application process. Preservation of tissue for replication or future experiments is strongly encouraged where possible.

Any code developed in support of…

Topic areas: Life Sciences and Health, General and Cross-cutting R&D.

Funding amount

This grant provides Varies in funding.

Deadline

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; there is no single fixed deadline.

Who can apply

This opportunity is open to the following applicant types:

• Not specified by the program.

Eligibility

The program did not publish a separate eligibility statement. See the official opportunity page for the full eligibility criteria.

Agency

Pilot Projects for a Human Cell Atlas is administered by Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), listed via Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.