Grants / Department of Defense / Engineer Research and Development Center

W81EWF-21-SOI-0025: Understanding Adverse Effects of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances on Nontarget Species

Closed Closed September 20, 2021 Opportunity W81EWF-21-SOI-0025 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: ERDC Broad Agency Announcement (W912HZ26S0001). Status: Closes January 1, 2027 (55 days left). It is in our archive of Engineer Research and Development Center notices from 2021.

• Award ceiling$300,000
• Total funding$300,000
• Expected awards1
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeCooperative Agreement

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to the applicants described in the notice.

• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

This opportunity is restricted to non-federal partners of the Gulf Coast Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU).

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past Basic, Applied, and Advanced Research in Science and Engineering awards averaged $1.1 million; this notice allows up to $300,000 per award.
• Most of the program's money (69% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been released into the environment primarily through the use of aqueous film-forming foams that have been used to fight flammable liquid pool fires, but also through the ubiquitous use and disposal of a multitude of industrial and consumer-based products that contain PFAS. The film-forming foams are complex mixtures normally containing fluorinated- and hydrogenated-surfactants that are used to extinguish fires involving highly flammable liquids. PFAS have become an important emerging concern worldwide, as these substances are found in biota, water and sediments and constitute potential hazards to environmental and human health. They are known to cause immunotoxicity and alter lipid metabolism, among other toxicological endpoints. To better understand the potential health hazards of PFAS and related compounds, molecular endpoints such as gene expression are being analyzed and incorporated into the Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) framework. Changes in gene expression, or transcriptomics, are a powerful measurement of chemical effects as it measures changes in thousands of genes at once. However, understanding how the molecular endpoints relate to apical toxicity and health hazard remains a challenge. Brief Description of Anticipated Work: Required Work Objectives: This project will determine changes in transcriptomes and behavior that can be linked to PFAS exposures from both field and laboratory experiments. The project will also address the impact of PFAS on biodiversity in the environment using molecular genetic approaches to identify species in water and sediment samples. The project is focused on determining health effects zebrafish and on metagenomic approaches to monitor changes in the abundance of different species in environmental samples. The ultimate goal of this effort is to develop methods that accelerate our understanding of the adverse effects of PFAS on aquatic species in order to inform risk assessment. Objective 1: RNA sequencing analysis of zebrafish embryo. We will receive fish samples from EL scientists and will perform RNAseq on the tissues of interest as discussed. Samples will be run on either HiSeq or NovaSeq Illumina platforms, depending on the number of samples and coverage needed. Bioinformatics analysis will be performed on the sequencing data in order to identify differentially expressed genes, enriched pathways, or other endpoints of interest.

Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, W912HZ26S0001, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.