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Requirements

Eligibility

Universities, Academic Medical Centers, Start-ups and related for profit entities.

 

Timeline

The proposed work must be conducted and final presentation at 12 months with final report completed within 13 months.

 

Outcomes

The findings from this research will have a near term, direct benefit primarily focused on present day professional ASF players. The potential should also exist to benefit former professional ASF players. While not the primary aim, research results may translate to guide treatment of similar health concerns in other athlete and non-athlete populations.

 

Target Population

Present day and former professional ASF Players.  Note the FPHS will not be able to facilitate ASF test participants. Applicants who have existing, approved relationships with this participant population may propose these as a testing population.

 

Testing Population

The ideal human subject participants for proposed research would include populations who perform activities or exposure to similar physical demands as ASF players (multidirectional movements requiring coordination, agility and power or athletes who participate in collision sports that create similar mechanism of injury). This may include adult-age population of active adults or athletes (18 and older) including professional athletes, or former athletes, active college athletes or other populations at high risk of injury.

 

Areas of emphasis

The RFA is designed to address the needs of current and former ASF players, recognizing the burden of musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and neurological conditions in this population and related medical afflictions.

The work proposed should focus on producing clear deliverables that advance the solution toward the treatment or prevention of health afflictions in current or former ASF players. The need being addressed and target benefits of by the proposed solution should be quantifiable and clinically relevant (for example, if successful, an improvement of X% resolving condition B common in ASF players). Applications of technology to treat or prevent conditions may include but are not limited to:

  • Facilitate accelerated return to play in recovery from muscle hematoma
  • Resolution of chronic tendinopathy or soft tissue conditions, such as plantar fasciitis
  • Non-invasive methods to resolve joint effusion or soft tissue edema following trauma
  • Treatment to reduce recovery time for soft tissue injuries (strains, sprains, and tears) 
  • Acceleration in time to complete fracture healing
  • Chronic pain treatment using novel transdermal cannabinoid delivery systems’
  • Improved normalization of metabolic or vascular dysfunction after concussion
  • Enhanced resolution of concussion related headache, visual ocular or vestibular symptoms