The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation’s medical research agency — making important discoveries that improve health and save lives.
This grant program is dedicated to supporting high-risk clinical trials focused on the development of in vivo high-resolution structural and functional imaging technologies for the living human inner ear. It encourages projects aimed at either improving the resolution of existing imaging techniques or innovating new methods to visualize inner ear structures with significantly greater detail and accuracy. The emphasis is on both structural and functional enhancements, including the visualization of dynamic elements within the ear. The program is interested in proposals that develop new imaging probes or contrast agents to better highlight inner ear features. The ultimate goal of research funded under this opportunity is to significantly advance the capability to non-invasively observe auditory and vestibular components with precision in awake patients in a clinical setting. The funding opportunity advises a multidisciplinary team approach for the development, advancement, or testing of the needed technology in human studies, ensuring a clear path towards application in awake humans or outlining the applicability and limitations in anesthetized humans.