Sam Brusco, Associate Editor01.18.22
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched the first phase of the Neuromod Prize, a $9.8 million competition to boost development of neuromodulation therapies. The competition challenges scientists, engineers, and clinicians to submit novel concepts and clinical development plans to stimulate the peripheral nervous system to treat disease.
The first phase will award up to $800,000. The second phase will award up to $4 million, with a third phase awarding up to $5 million depending on the availability of funds.
The Neuromod Prize makes up part of the Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions (SPARC) program. SPARC has made strong progress elevating neuromodulation for therapy. NIH hopes to bridge the gap between early-stage research and clinical use for solutions that can potentially target multiple functions involving internal organs.
Phase 1 participants will submit concept papers describing proposed therapeutic strategies and plans for proof-of-concept studies, rationales for use, and clinical impact expectations. The panel of judges will choose up to eight quarterfinalists to receive a share of the first prize pool. The second and third phases will be announced at a later date—phase 2 is expected to begin later this year, and the final phase is planned to launch in 2023.
Phase 3 will move preclinical work into translational and clinical studies to approach the regulatory approvals needed to bring the new therapies to market.
“Through the Neuromod Prize, we’re asking potential solvers to use the foundational knowledge and technologies that have come out of our SPARC program and take it to the next level with their innovative concepts and ideas,” James M. Anderson, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, which oversees the NIH Common Fund, told the press. “This competition is an exciting opportunity to come up with tangible plans for harnessing the power of the body’s electrical system to help transform treatments for millions of people living with chronic or acute illnesses.”
The first phase will award up to $800,000. The second phase will award up to $4 million, with a third phase awarding up to $5 million depending on the availability of funds.
The Neuromod Prize makes up part of the Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions (SPARC) program. SPARC has made strong progress elevating neuromodulation for therapy. NIH hopes to bridge the gap between early-stage research and clinical use for solutions that can potentially target multiple functions involving internal organs.
Phase 1 participants will submit concept papers describing proposed therapeutic strategies and plans for proof-of-concept studies, rationales for use, and clinical impact expectations. The panel of judges will choose up to eight quarterfinalists to receive a share of the first prize pool. The second and third phases will be announced at a later date—phase 2 is expected to begin later this year, and the final phase is planned to launch in 2023.
Phase 3 will move preclinical work into translational and clinical studies to approach the regulatory approvals needed to bring the new therapies to market.
“Through the Neuromod Prize, we’re asking potential solvers to use the foundational knowledge and technologies that have come out of our SPARC program and take it to the next level with their innovative concepts and ideas,” James M. Anderson, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, which oversees the NIH Common Fund, told the press. “This competition is an exciting opportunity to come up with tangible plans for harnessing the power of the body’s electrical system to help transform treatments for millions of people living with chronic or acute illnesses.”