Funded Research

SPARC-V - Vagus Nerve Mapping and Physiology
 

Reconstructing Vagal Anatomy (REVA) 75N98022-SPARC-RFP-28Jan2022
PI Name Institution Name Title

SHOFFSTALL, ANDREW

 CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY RECONSTRUCTING VAGAL ANATOMY

ZANOS, STAVROS

 FEINSTEIN INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH RECONSTRUCTING VAGAL ANATOMY

 

SPARC VNS Endpoints from Standardized Parameters (VESPA) (U54 Clinical Trial Required) RFA-RM-22-002
PI Name Institution Name Title

OSBORN, JOHN W (contact)
EBERLY, LYNN E
IKRAMUDDIN, SAYEED
LIM, HUBERT HYUNGIL
MACEFIELD, VAUGHAN GARY
NAHAS, ZIAD

 UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA REVEAL - Research Evaluating Vagal Excitation and Anatomical Linkages

 

SPARC-O - Open-source Neuromodulation Technologies

SPARC Human Open Research Neural Engineering Technologies (HORNET) Initiative (U41 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) RFA-RM-21-024
PI Name Institution Name Title

KILGORE, KEVIN L (contact) 
CHESTEK, CYNTHIA ANNE 
SMITH, BRIAN

 CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY Cleveland Open Source Modular Implant Innovators Community (COSMIIC)

MENG, ELLIS (contact)
HITTI, RAJA EDWARD
PIKOV, VICTOR

 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HORNET Center for Autonomic Nerve Recording and Stimulation Systems (CARSS)

 

SPARC-X - Challenge Competition

Neuromod Prize - Phase 1
Winners Title
BIOS HEALTH The Autonomic Therapy Initiative, data-driven stimulations of the vagus nerve using neural biomarkers, modulates cardiac function and minimizes side effects on off target organs
DIMARCO, ANTHONY F. High-frequency spinal cord stimulation reduces respiratory tract infections and improves bowel management in people with neurological impairment
GENERAL ELECTRIC RESEARCH, in collaboration with
NORTHWELL HEALTH
YALE UNIVERSITY		 A single, image-guided ultrasound treatment induces a response in the gut-brain sensory pathway to provide sustained remission in Type 2 diabetes and obesity
GRILL, WARREN (and collaborators)
DUKE BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING		 Electrical recording and stimulation of the sacral nerve with closed-loop bioelectronic control restores bladder and bowel function
NEUROENGINEERING & PAIN RESEARCH (NPR) LAB UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT Synchronized pulse and sinusoidal stimulation of sacral dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and nerve roots relieves chronic visceral pain in the lower abdominal organs by selectively blocking C-fiber neural transmission
RBI MEDICAL Ultraprecise, selective pelvic neuromodulation therapy treats stress urinary incontinence, overactive bladder, and fecal incontinence using a minimally invasive micro-implant
UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC. StimXS, neuromodulation of the lumbosacral spinal cord, automatically regulates cardiovascular, respiratory, and urinary systems after spinal cord injury
UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH DEPARTMENT OF UROLOGY A multichannel implantable device for sacral-pudendal neuromodulation addresses bladder, bowel, and sexual disorders

SPARC 1 - Anatomical and Functional Mapping of the Innervation of Major Internal Organs

Targeted Needs to Achieve SPARC Program Goals (OT2) OTA-20-004
PI Name Institution Name Title
ARMITAGE, OLIVER BIOS HEALTH LTD Efficient mapping of neuromodulation therapy parameters to complex biomarker spaces
DANZIGER, ZACHARY C FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY A New Paradigm for Systems Physiology Modeling: Biomechanistic Learning Augmentation with Deep Differential Equation Representations (BLADDER)
GAUNT, ROBERT A UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH Simulations of spinal cord recruitment to optimize bioelectronic interventions for lower urinary tract control
LIU, ZHONGMING (contact) 
CHENG, LEO 		 UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR The Virtual Stomach
MAHMOUDI, BABAK (contact) 
KOTHARE, MAYURESH V 		 EMORY UNIVERSITY CONTROL-CORE: A Modular Simulation Environment for Design and Prototyping of Closed-loop Peripheral Neuromodulation Control Systems using the O2S2PARC Platform
MARTONE, MARYANN E (contact)
DE BONO, BERNARD    		 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO K-CORE: Curation and Knowledge Management for SPARC
PATEL, BHAVESH  CALIFORNIA MEDICAL INNOVATIONS INSTITUTE SODA - Desktop Software to Enhance the SPARC Data Curation Workflow
VADIGEPALLI, RAJANIKANTH THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY Modeling network dynamics of cardiac right atrial ganglionic plexus to enable in silico testing of vagal neurostimulation strategies
Limited Competition - Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions (SPARC): Comprehensive Functional Mapping of Neuroanatomy and Neurobiology of Organs (OT2) RFA-RM-15-018
PI Name Institution Name Title
BOLSER, DONALD C UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA Functional mapping of peripheral and central circuits for airway protection and breathing
HOWARD, MARTHE J UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO HEALTH SCI CAMPUS Anatomical-Functional Mapping of Enteric Neural Circuits
HUBSCHER, CHARLES H. (contact) 
HARKEMA, SUSAN J 		 UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE Functional Mapping with Lumbosacral Epidural Stimulation for Restoration of Bladder Function After Spinal Cord Injury
POWLEY, TERRY L. PURDUE UNIVERSITY Mapping Stomach Autonomic Circuitry and Function for Neuromodulation of Gastric Disorders
SHIVKUMAR, KALYANAM (contact) 
FOWLKES, CHARLESS 
GRADINARU, VIVIANA 
HABECKER, BETH A 
LIBERLES, STEPHEN DANIEL 
PATERSON, DAVID 
ZUCKER, IRVING H		 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES Comprehensive Structural and Functional Mapping of the Mammalian Cardiac Nervous System
TACHE, YVETTE FRANCE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES Comprehensive Structural and Functional Mapping of Mammalian Colonic Nervous System

 

Limited Competition - Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions (SPARC): Foundational Functional Mapping of Neuroanatomy and Neurobiology of Organs (OT2) RFA-RM-15-020
PI Name Institution Name Title
CAMPBELL-THOMPSON, MARTHA L UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA Neuromodulation-based treatment of diabetes: identifying anatomical and physiological pancreatic innervation targets
KEAST, JANET R UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE Understanding functional connectivity of sensory and motor pathways to specific regions of the lower urinary tract.
LEWIS, STEPHEN JOHN  CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY Functional Mapping of the afferent and Efferent Projections of the Superior Cervical Ganglion Interactome
MUENZBERG-GRUENING, HEIKE LSU PENNINGTON BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH CTR Genetically-based neuro-modulation of adipose tissue functions
NAPADOW, VITALY  MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL Mapping the linkage between auricular vagus nerve receptors and cardiovagal modulation
REARDON, COLIN (contact) 
RAYBOULD, HELEN E		 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS Mapping of the neuro-immune interface
SHEN, XILING DUKE UNIVERSITY Functional mapping of efferent gut neuroepithelial circuits
SOUTHARD-SMITH, E MICHELLE VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER ENSMAP: Molecular and Functional Mapping of the Enteric Nervous System
SUN, XIN (contact) 
WANG, FAN		 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON Foundational Mapping of the Neural Circuits that Control Intrinsic Lung Function
ZELTSER, LORI M  COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES Foundational tools to study the impacts of sympathetic activity on the neuroanatomy and function of brown adipose tissue

 

Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions (SPARC):  Foundational Peripheral Neuroanatomy and Functional Neurobiology in Under-Studied Organs (U01) RFA-RM-17-003
PI Name Institution Name Title
FRENETTE, PAUL S ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, INC Evaluating neural circuitry of the bone marrow
KOLLARIK, MARIAN JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY Ionic and Structural Mechanisms for Sensory Neuromodulation of the Esophagus
OSBORN, JOHN W (contact) 
THOMAS, MARK JOHN 
VULCHANOVA, LYUDMILA H		 UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA Structural and functional neurobiology of renal nerves: A platform for neuromodulation of renal function
SCHELLER, ERICA LYNN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY PERIPHERAL NERVE DISTRIBUTION AND FUNCTION WITHIN THE SKELETON

 

SPARC 2 - Next Generation Tools and Technologies

Exploratory Technologies to Understand the Control of Organ Function by the Peripheral Nervous System for SPARC (U18) RFA-RM-15-002
PI Name Institution Name Title
ARDELL, JEFFREY L (contact) 
KIPKE, DARYL R 
SHIVKUMAR, KALYANAM 		 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES Distributed electrode system for high-fidelity cardio-neural mapping
BRUNS, TIMOTHY M. (contact) 
YOON, EUISIK		 UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Development of a novel multi-modal spinal root interface
DAVIS, BRIAN M (contact) 
GLORIOSO, JOSEPH C.		 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH Novel viral tools for control of bladder function and pain
DURAND, DOMINIQUE M (contact) 
LEWIS, STEPHEN JOHN		 CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY Novel nanowire interface with the autonomic nervous system to study hypertension
FARAJIDAVAR, AYDIN (contact) 
KIANI, MEHDI  
MILLER, LARRY S		 NEW YORK INST OF TECHNOLOGY An Implantable Wireless System To Study Gastric Neurophysiology
GEREAU, ROBERT (contact) 
ROGERS, JOHN		 WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY Soft, conformal wireless optoelectronic systems for the long-term neuromodulation of bladder function
HORN, CHARLES CHRISTOPHER (contact) 
JENKINS, MICHAEL W.		 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH Defining gastric vagal mechanisms underlying emetic activation using novel electrophysiological and optical mapping technology
HOWARD, MARTHE J UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO HEALTH SCI CAMPUS Tool Building to Inform Structure-Functions relationships in the Autonomic Nervous System
OKUSA, MARK DOUGLAS (contact) 
HOSSACK, JOHN A		 UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA Tailoring ultrasound technology to explore mechanisms of activation of the splenic neuroimmune axis in attenuating acute organ injury
STROHL, KINGMAN PERKINS CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY A Tool for Neurotheraputic Therapy for Sleep Disordered Breathing
VULCHANOVA, LYUDMILA H UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA Selective peripheral neuromodulation through organ-specific AAV-mediated gene transfer
WELLS, JAMES M (contact) 
HELMRATH, MICHAEL A		 CINCINNATI CHILDRENS HOSP MED CTR Establishment of in vitro and in vivo models of human gastrointestinal organoids with a functional ENS

 

Limited Competition - Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions (SPARC):  Technologies to Understand the Control of Organ Function by the Peripheral Nervous System (OT2) RFA-RM-16-003
PI Name Institution Name Title
DAMASER, MARGOT S. (contact) 
BOURBEAU, DENNIS		 CLEVELAND CLINIC LERNER COM-CWRU Conscious ambulatory bladder monitoring to understand neural control of lower urinary tract function
MCLAUGHLIN, BRYAN L MICRO-LEADS, INC. Epidural Current-Steering for Selective Modulation of Lower Urinary Tract Function
MONAGHAN, JAMES R NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY Optical Nanosensors Detect Neurotransmitter Release in the Peripheral Nervous System
SEYMOUR, JOHN P (contact) 
BRUNS, TIMOTHY M. 
YOON, EUISIK 		 UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Highly-compliant Microneedle Arrays for Peripheral Nerve Mapping
STANLEY, SARAH AMY ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI Remote Modulation of the Peripheral Nervous System
WEIR, RICHARD FERGUS FFRENCH UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER Development of a Bidirectional Optogenetic Minimally Invasive Peripheral Nerve Interface with Single Axon Read-in & Read-out Specificity

 

Limited Competition - Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions (SPARC):  Technologies to Understand the Control of Organ Function by the Peripheral Nervous System (OT2) RFA-RM-17-010
PI Name Institution Name Title
AXELROD, STEVE G-TECH, INC. Adaptation and Extension of Wireless Wearable Patch System for Non-invasive Measurement of Myoelectric Signals from Gastrointestinal Organs
CLANCY, COLLEEN E (contact) 
GRANDI, ELEONORA 
SANTANA, LUIS F		 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS Development of the Predictive NeuroCardiovascular Simulator
GAUNT, ROBERT A UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH Soft Silicone Electrode Nets: implantable technology for visceral organ neural interfacing and functional evaluation
GREGERSEN, HANS (contact) 
KASSAB, GHASSAN S		 CALIFORNIA MEDICAL INNOVATIONS INSTITUTE Fecobionics device for mapping colonic and anorectal neuromuscular function
GRILL, WARREN M  DUKE UNIVERSITY Modeling Activation and Block of Autonomic Nerves for Analysis and Design
HAVTON, LEIF A UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES Transmission Electron Microscopy Service for SPARC Consortium Investigators
HOLDER, DAVID S  UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON Enhanced quantitative imaging of compound action potentials in multi-fascicular peripheral nerve with fast neural Electrical Impedance Tomography enabled by 3D multi-plane softening bioelectronics
JENKINS, MICHAEL W CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY Infrared Neuromodulation Reveals a New Understanding of Ganglion Organization
MILLER, LARRY S FEINSTEIN INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH Using the GI Tract as a Window to the Autonomic Nervous System in the Thorax and in the Abdomen
REZNIKOV, LEAH R UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA Transgenic Pigs with Red-Shifted Channelrhodopsin-Citrine Fusion Proteins
SOH, HYONGSOK TOM STANFORD UNIVERSITY Real-time biosensor for mapping the function of the pancreas
VAKOC, BENJAMIN JAMES MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL Novel optical coherence tomography tool development for quantitative peripheral nerve imaging

SPARC 3 - Translational Partnerships for Human Functional Mapping and New Indications

 

SPARC Partnership Opportunity: Custom Arrangements for Device-Based Clinical Studies with Flexible Data and Intellectual Property Rights (OT2) OTA-18-019
PI Name Institution Name Title
BRUNS, TIMOTHY M UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR Pudendal nerve mapping towards improved neuromodulation for urinary retention
CHEN, PENG-SHENG INDIANA UNIV-PURDUE UNIV AT INDIANAPOLIS Using electrical nerve stimulation to control atrial fibrillation
GREGERSEN, HANS CALIFORNIA MEDICAL INNOVATIONS INSTITUTE Neurophysiological mechanism in sacral neuromodulation in patients suffering from fecal incontinence
SHIVKUMAR, KALYANAM (contact)
GREEN, ALEXANDER LAURENCE		 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES CARDIAC NEUROMODULATION IN HUMANS: MECHANISMS & THERAPIES
WARD, MATTHEW PETER PURDUE UNIVERSITY High Resolution, Noninvasive Measurement and Functional Classification of Vagal Nerve Response Patterns in Relation to Gastroparesis Symptom Management using Gastric Electrical Stimulation

 

Pre-clinical Development of Existing Market-approved Devices to Support New Market Indications (U18) RFA-RM-16-009
PI Name Institution Name Title
CANNING, BRENDAN J (contact) 
KOLLARIK, MARIAN 
MITZNER, WAYNE 		 JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY Neuromodulation for Asthma
CHEN, JIANDE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY Smart spinal cord stimulation for gastroparesis
YIN, JIEYUN NONE TRANSTIMULATION RESEARCH, INC. Vagal Nerve Stimulation for Diabetes

 

Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions (SPARC): Pre-clinical Development of Existing Market-approved Devices to Support New Market Indications (U18) RFA-RM-16-027
PI Name Institution Name Title
CHEN, PENG-SHENG INDIANA UNIV-PURDUE UNIV AT INDIANAPOLIS Subcutaneous nerve stimulation for arrhythmia control.
HORN, CHARLES CHRISTOPHER UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH Closed-loop neuroelectric control of emesis and gastric motility

SPARC 4 - Data and Resource Center

Targeted Needs to Achieve SPARC Program Goals (OT2) OTA-20-004
PI Name Institution Name Title

MARTONE, MARYANN E (contact)
DE BONO, BERNARD

 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO K-CORE: Curation and Knowledge Management for SPARC
Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions (SPARC): Data Coordination, Mapping, and Modeling Center (OT3) RFA-RM-16-008
PI Name Institution Name Title
HUNTER, PETER JOHN UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND Multi-scale, multi-organ, multi-species SPARC map management
KUSTER, NIELS IT'IS FOUNDATION Open Platform for Online Simulations for Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions – o2S2PARC
WAGENAAR, JOOST B BLACKFYNN, INC. Blackfynn: A scalable and sustainable platform for scientific data integration and analysis

SPARC 5 - Visceral Pain Circuitry

Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions (SPARC): Anatomical and Functional Mapping of Pain-Related Visceral Organ Neural Circuitry (U01 Clinical Optional)
RFA-RM-19-001
PI Name Institution Name Title
CHENG, ZIXI JACK UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA Nociceptive Afferent Topographical Innervation of the Heart and Stomach
FENG, BIN UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRS Determining the topology and molecular profiles of nociceptive DRG neurons innervating distal colon and rectum
JULIUS, DAVID (contact)
INGRAHAM, HOLLY A.		 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO Mapping gut-spinal cord connections in visceral pain
MULUGETA, MILLION UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES Structural and functional mapping of visceral pain afferent neurocircuitries of the colorectum and bladder in preclinical models
TAYLOR-CLARK, THOMAS EDWARD (contact)
KOLLARIK, MARIAN		 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA Comparative mapping of functionally distinct visceral afferent nociceptive pathways

 

Related Opportunities

NIH Support for Conferences and Scientific Meetings (Parent R13) PA-16-294
PI Name Institution Name Title
ROLANDI, MARCO UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA CRUZ Asilomar Bioelectronics Symposium 2017

 

This page last reviewed on October 26, 2022