Overview

RFA & APPLICATION

The Football Players Health Study at Harvard University (FPHS) is a unique multidisciplinary, strategic research and translation initiative addressing the challenge of player health in American style football (ASF). Launched in 2014, the FPHS is a portfolio of studies designed to deepen the understanding of the benefits and risks of participation in ASF, identify risks that are potentially reversible or preventable, and develop interventions or approaches to improve the health and wellbeing of players. Recently published analyses from the FPHS have documented increased later life cardiometabolic/ cardiovascular risks associated with early and mid-playing career weight gain (high school to college, college to pro) and within-career history of ACL tear. Findings from the FPHS have the potential for collateral benefit to other athlete and non-athlete populations.

FPHS is soliciting proposals for innovative “HealthTech” solutions (e.g. the application of technologies such as imaging, sensing, diagnostic, preventative or therapeutic technologies) to improve the health of former and/or current professional football players. Successfully funded awards will have an emphasis on improving health by applying a technology to either prevent or treat a medical condition with high prevalence among American style football players (such as sleep apnea, cardiometabolic and cardiovascular disease, neurocognitive impairment, musculoskeletal injury, chronic pain).

The focus of this current RFA is to accelerate innovative solutions towards commercialization that are directly applicable to this population. In addition, eligible solutions will have matured past the Proof-of-Concept Stage of the CIMIT Healthcare Innovation Cycle and be on a path for commercial investment within 12-24 months.

Technologies with current or near FDA-approval that have been developed for similar or related use cases in different populations are welcome. For example, adaptation of innovative solutions/ technologies that have been applied to treat musculoskeletal conditions (such as tendon, bone, muscle or joint disease), detect inflammation and metabolic dysfunction, or reduce risk for long-term sequelae of concussion. Specifically, research should focus on next step of translation to commercialization. Note, funding from this RFA is not meant for definitive phase 3 clinical trials.

Eligibility

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

Requirements

Timeline

The proposed work must be conducted and final presentation at 12 months with final report completed within 15 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. For example, recent research resulting from the FPHS reported ASF professional players who sustained an ACL injury had 2-fold increased risk for other joint diseases including arthritis and 50% increased risk for myocardial infarction, demonstrating the complex interactions of afflictions in ASF players.

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 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
• 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

Key Dates

This application is currently CLOSED. Please check back for new opportunities.

RFA & APPLICATION