Enhancing Mechanistic Research on Precision Probiotic Therapies (R33 Clinical Trial Optional)
Accelerate precision probiotic therapies by identifying person-specific features affecting probiotic responses to enhance clinical outcomes.
Funder: National Institutes of Health
Due Dates: June 2, 2025 (New) | July 2, 2025 (Renewal/Resubmission/Revision) | February 2, 2026 | October 1, 2026 | June 2, 2027
Funding Amounts: Up to $350,000 direct costs per year, for up to 4 years (R33 mechanism)
Summary: Supports mechanistic research to identify and understand person-specific features affecting precision probiotic responses to improve clinical outcomes.
Key Information: Only mechanistic studies are supported; efficacy/effectiveness clinical trials are not eligible.
Description
This opportunity from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) supports highly innovative mechanistic research to accelerate the development of effective precision probiotic interventions. The focus is on understanding and addressing the biological and environmental factors that cause variability in individual responses to probiotic therapies. The ultimate goal is to identify, characterize, and develop strategies to overcome barriers in precision probiotic therapies, enabling more consistent and effective clinical outcomes.
The program specifically solicits R33 applications that will:
- Characterize person-specific features (e.g., microbiome, immune system, sex, diet, age, genetics, lifestyle, health history) that affect probiotic responses.
- Identify subgroups of probiotic responders.
- Enhance the predictability and effectiveness of probiotic interventions.
Applicants must propose rigorously designed mechanistic studies, either in relevant animal models or human subjects, and must have supportive preliminary data indicating potential host biological patterns correlated with probiotic usage. This opportunity does not support efficacy or effectiveness clinical trials.
A companion R61/R33 opportunity (PAR-25-211) is available for early-stage research to identify host biological patterns that may affect probiotic health outcomes.
