Molecular Phenotypes of Null Alleles in Cells (MorPhiC) Phase I: Data Analysis and Validation Centers (U01 Clinical trials not allowed) | RFA HG 22 019

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HG 22 019

The Molecular Phenotypes of Null Alleles in Cells (MorPhiC) Phase I: Data Analysis and Validation Centers funding opportunity (RFA HG 22 019) is a National Institutes of Health, NHGRI-led initiative that uses the cooperative agreement mechanism (U01; clinical trials not allowed) to stand up specialized centers focused on analyzing, validating, and making sense of data produced by the broader MorPhiC program. The central idea behind MorPhiC is to build a consistent, widely usable catalog of what happens in cells when individual human genes are fully knocked out (that is, when a gene has a null allele). Rather than looking at one gene or one disease at a time, MorPhiC is designed to systematically measure molecular and cellular consequences of gene loss across the genome using in vitro multicellular systems, then release those results as a community resource that other researchers can use for discovery, interpretation, and hypothesis generation.

Phase I is positioned as a practical, method-optimizing, proof-of-scale stage. In this first phase, the program plans to focus across a target set of about 1,000 protein-coding genes and work out how best to (1) generate null alleles reliably, (2) measure phenotypic effects in a consistent way across multiple sites and experimental systems, and (3) understand the real-world scaling limits of the approach. A major deliverable of Phase I is not only the initial dataset, but also the standards and infrastructure that make a larger effort feasible: shared data formats, clearer expectations for metadata and quality, and defined use cases describing how outside scientists should be able to query and interpret the catalog. Phase I is also explicitly meant to inform whether a later Phase II should happen and, if so, what it should look like in terms of scope, methods, and feasibility.

Within that larger structure, the Data Analysis and Validation (DAV) Centers are intended to serve as the computational and analytic backbone that helps ensure the resulting resource is credible, interpretable, and useful. These centers are expected to develop and apply computational models, data analysis pipelines, and visualization approaches that can evaluate data quality, validate signals, and support cross-gene and cross-system comparisons. In practice, that implies work such as establishing reproducible processing workflows, defining and applying QC metrics, identifying batch effects and technical artifacts, supporting integration of multi-omic or multi-modal readouts when applicable, and building analysis approaches that can translate raw assay outputs into interpretable molecular and cellular phenotype summaries. The emphasis on validation and utility means these centers are not just doing downstream statistics; they are helping shape how data are assessed, compared, and presented so that the final catalog can actually be used with confidence by the broader biomedical community.

Administratively, this opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding in the health area, under CFDA 93.172, and uses a U01 cooperative agreement, which generally signals substantial NIH program involvement and coordination across awardees. The FOA lists an award ceiling of $350,000 and an original closing date of 2022-11-01. The applicant pool is intentionally broad, spanning many types of domestic institutions and organizations, including state and local governments, public and private institutions of higher education, independent school districts, special district governments, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. It also includes nonprofit organizations (with and without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses. The eligibility language also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISI institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, HBCUs, tribally controlled colleges and universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, US territories or possessions, and even non-US entities (foreign organizations), underscoring a desire to draw expertise from a wide range of settings.

Taken together, the opportunity is best understood as funding for advanced analytic centers that will collaborate closely with other MorPhiC components to make a first large-scale, standardized reference of gene knockout phenotypes possible. The DAV Centers role is to help turn complex experimental outputs into a coherent, validated, and accessible catalog, while also helping define the standards, formats, and analysis practices that will determine whether MorPhiC can scale beyond Phase I into a broader, genome-wide resource.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Molecular Phenotypes of Null Alleles in Cells (MorPhiC) Phase I: Data Analysis and Validation Centers (U01 Clinical trials not allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.172.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-08-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-11-01. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $350,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for RFA HG 22 019

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