FY27 LRP RFI survey monkey text_Final.docx

DISCLAIMER: This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation. Neither unsolicited proposals nor any other kind of offers will be considered in response to this RFI. Responses to this notice are not offers and will not be accepted by the government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. The information requested shall be entered into Survey Monkey; therefore, the Government is unable to protect proprietary/sensitive information. Interested parties shall not submit proprietary/sensitive information through Survey Monkey. Responses to this RFI will not be returned. At this time, questions concerning the composition and requirements for a future RFP will not be entertained.

PURPOSE: The Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) seeks feedback to inform potential future Lupus Research Program (LRP) focus areas and associated research funding opportunities.

Although fiscal year 2027 funds have not been appropriated, the LRP is requesting this information to support program planning processes. The CDMRP wants to hear from all audiences, interested parties, and individuals from academia, industry, community and non-profit organizations, scientific and professional organizations, federal agencies, and the public.

This RFI is for information and planning purposes only and should not be construed as a solicitation or an obligation on the part of the LRP or the Department of War.

The following are the LRP’s current strategic goals.

1. Advance understanding of subsets of lupus patients, biologically or genetically, to improve appropriate treatment of these patients.

2. Gain insight into disease mechanisms and heterogeneity by understanding responses to novel and existing interventions.

3. Improve quality of life of patients.

1) From your perspective, are there critical gaps in the field that are not addressed by these strategic goals? If yes, please specify.

a. Yes.

b. No.

[Comment Box]

The following are the LRP’s current focus areas.

1. Understanding how lupus disease heterogeneity impacts risk of disease, disease presentation, clinical course and outcomes using a diverse range of research disciplines including, but not limited to, biopsychosocial studies, personalized medicine, variation in treatment studies, health economics, socioeconomic studies, environmental studies, systems biology, maternal fetal health and epidemiological studies.

2. Understanding the biological mechanisms of lupus disease including, but not limited to, studies of informative/rare patients.

3. Determining the pathobiology of end organ injury related to lupus disease in target human tissues.

4. Improving quality of life for individuals living with lupus including, but not limited to, addressing social determinants of health, nutrition, alternative therapies, access to health care resources, outcomes research, patient-report outcomes, symptom and disease control, comparative effectiveness research, maternal fetal health and issues and challenges that, when addressed, make day-to-day living with lupus easier and life more fulfilling.

5. Understanding the underlying genetic and epigenetic components and gene-environment interactions of lupus and how they may relate to clinical disease characteristics, variations, disparities and differences in response to therapies using functional genomic studies.

6. Improving outcomes for lupus through innovative health care delivery models.

7. Designing and implementing an intervention either at the individual and/or health care system level to improve the quality of life and mental health for individuals living with lupus. Example interventions include, but are not limited to, access to health care resources, outcomes research, symptom and disease control, comparative effectiveness research, and issues and challenges that, when addressed, make day-to-day living with lupus easier and life more fulfilling.

2) From your perspective, are there critical gaps in the field that are not addressed by these focus areas? If yes, please specify.

a. Yes.

b. No.

[Comment Box]

3) In your opinion, which of the following research areas is most underfunded in the lupus field and, if funded, could make a significant impact on the state of the science and clinical outcomes?

a. Understanding how lupus disease heterogeneity impacts risk of disease, disease presentation, clinical course and outcomes.

b. Understanding the biological mechanisms of lupus disease.

c. Determining the pathobiology of end organ injury related to lupus disease in target human tissues.

d. Improving quality of life for individuals living with lupus including, but not limited to, addressing social determinants of health, nutrition, alternative therapies, access to health care resources, outcomes research, patient-report outcomes, symptom and disease control, comparative effectiveness research, and maternal fetal health.

e. Understanding the underlying genetic and epigenetic components and gene-environment interactions of lupus and how they may relate to clinical disease characteristics, variations, disparities and differences in response to therapies.

f. Improving outcomes for lupus through innovative health care delivery models.

g. Designing and implementing interventions either at the individual and/or health care system level to improve the quality of life and mental health for individuals living with lupus.

h. Other (please specify)

[Comment Box]

4) Please rank (1-6) the following areas of research based on which will have the most impact (1) to least impact (6) on the lupus field:

a. Heterogeneity

b. Biological mechanisms

c. Genomics

d. Pathobiology

e. Quality of life

f. Health care delivery

g. Other (please specify)

5) Keeping in mind investments from other lupus research funding organizations, please select the top two stages/types of research that the LRP could focus on that would have the greatest impact on the lupus field of research.

a. Early Ideas – Preclinical Research

b. Translational Research

c. Clinical Research (not including clinical trials)

d. Clinical Trials

e. Team Science

f. Other (please specify)

Demographics Information

1. Which of the following best describes your role in the lupus research community?

a. Researcher: Academia

b. Researcher: Industry

c. Researcher: Health Care Provider/Clinician

d. Patient/Caregiver/Advocate

e. Foundation/Government Program Administrator

f. Other (please specify)

CONTACT INFORMATION: Any and all questions related to this RFI shall be directed to Jared D. Acre at jared.d.acre.civ@health.mil. All information regarding responses or any other proprietary information relative to this RFI shall be submitted via email to jared.d.acre.civ@health.mil no later than 4:00 PM (EST) on November 16, 2026.