Understanding Adverse Effects of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances on Nontarget Species | W81EWF 21 SOI 0025

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81EWF 21 SOI 0025

The Department of Defense, through the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), offered a cooperative agreement opportunity focused on improving scientific understanding of how per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) affect nontarget aquatic species. PFAS are widespread environmental contaminants associated largely with aqueous film-forming foams used to extinguish fuel-based fires, as well as many industrial and consumer products that contain PFAS and ultimately release them through use and disposal. Because PFAS are now commonly detected in water, sediments, and living organisms, and are linked to health concerns such as immunotoxicity and disruptions to lipid metabolism, ERDC is seeking research that helps translate early molecular signals of PFAS exposure into clearer predictions of real-world biological harm.

A central theme of the project is connecting molecular-level changes to organism-level outcomes in a way that strengthens environmental risk assessment. The opportunity emphasizes the Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) framework, which is designed to connect a molecular initiating event (for example, a chemical-driven shift in gene regulation) to downstream biological changes and ultimately to adverse effects that matter for survival, growth, or reproduction. While transcriptomics (measuring changes in gene expression across thousands of genes at once) is a powerful tool for detecting chemical effects, a major gap remains in reliably tying those transcriptomic changes to apical endpoints, meaning the observable whole-organism effects used in toxicity testing and ecological hazard evaluation. This award is intended to help close that gap for PFAS by generating and analyzing omics data alongside behavioral and other apical measurements.

The planned work is organized around determining how PFAS exposures, drawn from both field and laboratory contexts, alter transcriptomes and behavior, and how those molecular and behavioral shifts relate to adverse outcomes. The work also includes a biodiversity component: using molecular genetic methods to identify and track species in water and sediment samples, with the intent of detecting PFAS-related shifts in community composition. In practice, the biological model highlighted for health-effects work is zebrafish, a widely used vertebrate model in toxicology and developmental biology, while environmental community monitoring relies on metagenomic approaches to estimate changes in the abundance and presence of different species within sampled ecosystems. Taken together, the program aims to produce methods and evidence that accelerate understanding of PFAS impacts on aquatic species and make that knowledge usable for risk assessment.

Two main technical objectives are specified. Objective 1 centers on RNA sequencing (RNAseq) of zebrafish embryos. The awardee would receive fish samples from ERDC environmental laboratory scientists and conduct RNAseq on tissues selected in coordination with the government team. Sequencing would be performed on Illumina platforms such as HiSeq or NovaSeq, with platform choice depending on sample numbers and desired sequencing depth. The expectation is not only generation of sequencing data but also rigorous bioinformatics analysis to identify differentially expressed genes, enriched biological pathways, and other transcriptomic endpoints that may serve as mechanistic indicators of PFAS toxicity.

Objective 2 focuses on integrating omics results with apical toxicity data from zebrafish exposures. Here the emphasis is on analyzing survival-relevant or health-relevant outcomes and using them to connect molecular initiating events to apical endpoints of concern. The goal is to build or refine AOPs for the specific PFAS evaluated, using the combined evidence from gene expression patterns and observable organism-level effects. In other words, the work is meant to move beyond listing gene changes and toward mechanistic, testable pathways that explain how PFAS exposures produce adverse biological consequences.

The opportunity also sets clear expectations for communication and dissemination. Results from both objectives are to be shared with ERDC through regular interim reports, and the work is intended to be made publicly accessible through conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications. Methods and protocols are expected to be documented and delivered alongside results in a way that can withstand peer review, reinforcing reproducibility and usability by other researchers and regulators.

From a competitiveness standpoint, ERDC signals that strong applications would typically demonstrate prior experience performing RNAseq on contaminants of concern, the ability to develop AOPs, and a solid publication record using these approaches. Administratively, this was a discretionary funding opportunity issued as a cooperative agreement, meaning substantial interaction with the government science team is implied rather than a hands-off grant. The opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number W81EWF 21 SOI 0025; CFDA 12.630) anticipated a single award, with an award ceiling of $300,000. It was posted July 1, 2021, with an original closing date of August 30, 2021, under the Department of Defense, Engineer Research and Development Center.

• The Department of Defense, Engineer Research and Development Center in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Understanding Adverse Effects of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances on Nontarget Species" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.630.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 01, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 30, 2021. (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 $300,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for W81EWF 21 SOI 0025

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