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APPLICATION RECEIPT DATE:
Recommended Pre-proposal Deadline: Extended from November 21st to November 25, 2025 (Tuesday; midnight)
Full Application Deadline: December 30th, 2025 (Tuesday; midnight)
PURPOSE: The Arizona Alzheimer’s Consortium (AAC) invites applications for biofluid biomarker analysis to advance the understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders (ADRD). These biomarker analyses will be conducted at the Michael T. Zuendel Laboratory at Banner Sun Health Research Institute.
APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY: The call will fund two projects at the value of $70,000. Investigators at all career stages are encouraged to apply. The project must include biofluid samples derived from human plasma, serum, or cerebrospinal fluid. Biofluids from animal models, other human biofluids or tissue homogenates, will be considered with prior agreement. We encourage collaborative proposals from two or more AAC researchers and/or institutions. Samples must be received by the Michael T. Zuendel Laboratory by March 31, 2026 to allow biomarker analyses to be completed by June 30th, 2026.
APPLICATION GUIDELINES: Applications should include a concise, two-page proposal comprising the following elements:
- Descriptive Title: A clear, impactful title that reflects the primary focus of the study.
- Abstract and Specific Aims: A brief abstract outlining the study’s objectives, with clearly defined specific aims.
- Study Team: A list of key study team members with their relevant expertise.
- Study Plan: The main body of the application should highlight the novelty of the proposed research and its potential impact on the field in context with data already exists in the public domain. Summary level demographic details of the proposed sample should be provided.
- Special attention should be given to the feasibility of acquiring and providing biofluid samples to Banner Sun Health Research Institute before March 31, 2026, including procurement of necessary Material Transfer Agreements and Institutional Review Board (IRB) approvals.
- Publication plan
MECHANISMS OF SUPPORT: This program does not provide direct financial support to the applicant. Instead, it offers support by covering the costs associated with generating biomarker measurements. The program will sponsor two biomarker projects up to the value $70,000. This mechanism will only fund the direct biomarker assay costs and will not cover other research expenses (e.g., sample shipment or IRB costs).
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES: The goal of this initiative is to fund one project from each of the following categories:
- The real-world use of plasma p-tau217, BD-tau217, or p-tau217/Aβ42 in the management of patients in primary care or secondary care, or who are receiving disease modifying treatments.
- Investigating biofluid biomarkers (blood or cerebrospinal fluid) for non-Alzheimer’s disorders, such as (but not limited to) Parkinson’s disease, Lewy body disease, or vascular dementia.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES: The recommended pre-proposal and application may be emailed to Tainá Marques, PhD (Taina.Marques@bannerhealth.com). The pre-proposal will only evaluate the feasibility of the project (e.g., costs, assay choice, and timing) and will not provide formal feedback on the scientific aims of the proposed project.
APPLICATION REVIEW CRITERIA: Applications will be reviewed internally by the Banner Biomarker Program for cost, timing, feasibility and externally by a panel of experts for scientific content. Applications will be rated based on the following criteria:
- Novelty: The uniqueness and originality of the proposed research.
- Study sample: Is the selected cohort appropriate for addressing the study question?
- Feasibility: Is the study within budget and can meet the timelines?
- Immediate Impact: The potential of the project to make a meaningful and immediate contribution to the field.
- Future potential: The likelihood that the project will lead to successful future grant applications or a high impact publication.
Applicants will be notified of funding decisions by January 16th, 2026.
INQUIRIES: Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the program to discuss the feasibility of their project within the scope of available funding and reagent costs.
For questions and more information, please contact:
Nicholas J. Ashton, PhD
Senior Director, Fluid Biomarker Program
Email: Nicholas.Ashton@bannerhealth.com
Tainá Marques, PhD
Senior Program Manager, Fluid Biomarker Program
Email: Taina.Marques@bannerhealth.com
