Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Duke University's Office of Research Administration received a $242,250 Project Grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837), awarded June 18, 2026, with completion targeted for May 31, 2028. The award supports a secondary analysis of existing datasets from two completed physical activity (PA) interventions—the Heart Health Study and the HF-ACTION Trial—to identify genetic variants predictive of dropout and adherence in PA interventions. This research directly addresses physical inactivity, which contributes to 5.4 million excess deaths annually and affects approximately 80% of the U.S. population that fails to meet current physical activity guidelines.

The project deliverables include systematic identification and validation of genetic predictors through candidate gene analysis, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), and GWAS meta-analysis. The research will characterize mediators and moderators of the relationship between genetic predisposition and PA intervention outcomes, examining physiological responses to physical activity such as substrate utilization. These findings are designed to establish foundational knowledge for personalized intervention strategies and advance understanding of why certain individuals successfully adopt and adhere to health behaviors while others do not, ultimately informing next-generation approaches to combat the critical public health challenge of physical inactivity.