Peripheral Nerve Multi-Omics Request for Proposals

The Opportunity

The CMT Research Foundation (CMTRF) is building a centralized, multi-omic data platform dedicated to peripheral nerve biology: the Neuropathy Open Data Exchange (NODE) Bioinformatics Workbench. This targeted Request for Proposals will fund the generation of high-value bioinformatics datasets that expand what we know about gene expression in the peripheral nervous system (PNS), in both pre-clinical models and humans.

Closing the gap between pre-clinical model biology and human peripheral nerve disease is one of the field’s most persistent translational challenges, and it’s exactly what this RFP is designed to address.

Read full documentation for the RFP here.

Why It Matters

Priority will go to projects that strengthen our ability to translate findings between pre-clinical models and human disease. In practice, that means:

• Generating datasets that expand gene expression profiles in the PNS, across pre-clinical models and human PNS tissue
• Catalyzing new comparative and translational approaches to peripheral nerve biology
• Improving the field’s ability to turn pre-clinical findings into human-relevant insight

Funding at a Glance

• Award amount: Up to $75,000
• Duration: One year
• Salary support: Not to exceed 50% of the total requested
• Travel: Up to $1,500 may be requested; awardees also receive free registration to the Global CMT Research Convention
• Indirect costs: Capped at 10% of the total budget, subject to CMTRF approval

Who Can Apply

• Both early-career and established independent investigators
• Applicants without an independent lab should include a letter of support from a PI sponsor or mentor
• Applicants must have access to equipment or core facilities for large-scale sequencing
• Work can be based at academic, non-profit, contract research organization (CRO), or pharma/biotech institutions
• Applicants from all countries are welcome, and multi-PI or cross-institutional collaborations are encouraged

Research Priority Areas

All proposals should expand knowledge of gene expression in the peripheral nervous system, drawing on one or more of the following:

• Human PNS tissue: sural nerve or skin biopsies, dorsal root ganglion (DRG) tissue, and other accessible human peripheral nerve sources
• Pre-clinical models: transcriptomic or epigenomic profiling of sciatic nerve, DRG, Schwann cells, or neuromuscular junction (NMJ) tissue from CMT or other peripheral neuropathy models
• iPSC-derived models: human iPSC-derived sensory or motor neurons, Schwann cells, or organoid systems that bridge to human disease
• Other PNS-focused approaches that meaningfully expand pre-clinical and human expression data; if you’re not sure your project fits, you can submit a Letter of Intent for feedback

Proposals that generate datasets suitable for incorporation into the NODE Bioinformatics Workbench will be prioritized. A data sharing and deposition plan is a required deliverable.

Key Dates

What to Prepare

Applications should include a lay summary, a scientific summary, a five-page scientific proposal (background, research plan, and references), a detailed budget with justification, a Gantt chart, NIH biosketches , and supporting letters where applicable. Full formatting requirements and submission details are in the complete RFP document.

How Proposals Are Evaluated

CMTRF staff and scientific advisors review applications on four criteria: significance, innovation, approach, and the strength of the research team and environment. Final funding decisions are made by the CMTRF Board of Directors, and the number of awards is dependent on available funds.

Data Sharing

Datasets generated under this award must be deposited in the NODE Bioinformatics Workbench within six months of project completion, with enough metadata and annotation for other researchers to interpret and reuse the data. Investigators keep full rights to continue analyzing, validating, and publishing their own data after deposition.

Questions?

Contact us at [email protected].