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A private company seeks innovative, non-animal preclinical models and screening platforms to evaluate dietary bioactives and natural ingredients for their effects on sleep onset, duration, circadian alignment, and related biological mechanisms, with emphasis on scalable, reproducible, and mechanistically informative systems.
Overview
- Funding of $50,000–$150,000 USD, dependent on project milestones, with potential for follow-on funding
- Collaboration with Procter & Gamble scientists through regular project meetings and technical engagement
- Partnership opportunities include sponsored research, co-development, pilot or trial engagements, and fee-for-service arrangements
- Joint project planning with the project team to define milestones and maximize project success
- Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3–9 accepted, ranging from experimental proof of concept through commercially available platforms
Priority Areas
Non-Animal Sleep and Circadian Research Platforms
Non-Animal In Vivo Models: Develop or apply non-animal model systems, such as Drosophila melanogaster, with validated measures of sleep behavior and circadian rhythms.
In Vitro Neuronal Systems: Explore neuronal cultures, reporter assays, organoids, or related systems capable of modeling sleep- or circadian-related biological mechanisms.
Organ-on-Chip Platforms: Develop microphysiological systems that replicate neuronal function, circadian biology, or other mechanisms relevant to sleep regulation.
Sleep Behavior and Circadian Monitoring Platforms: Create systems capable of generating quantitative measures of sleep-like behavior, including movement, inactivity, waking behavior, or circadian rhythm characteristics such as timing, consistency, and strength.
Mechanistic Screening Platforms: Investigate technologies capable of measuring biological mechanisms underlying sleep regulation, including melatonin receptor activity, clock gene expression, neuronal signaling, or related pathways.
Eligibility & Requirements
Eligible Applicants:
- Academic researchers
- Startup companies
- Suppliers
- Service providers (CROs/CMOs)
- Consultants
Technology Requirements:
Projects should demonstrate:
- A non-animal platform that does not utilize live animal models or animal tissues (commercially available animal-derived cell lines and reagents are acceptable, although non-animal approaches are preferred)
- Capability to evaluate dietary ingredients, natural compounds, and complex botanical extracts
- At least one quantitative sleep or circadian biology endpoint
- Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3–9, ranging from experimental proof of concept through products available for commercial use
Preferred Qualifications:
- Demonstrated reproducibility and experimental robustness
- Medium-throughput or scalable screening capabilities
- Evidence supporting translation to human biology or established pharmacological benchmarks
- Mechanistic resolution sufficient to investigate biological pathways underlying sleep or circadian regulation
- Ability to evaluate both sleep and circadian endpoints within the same platform
- Capability to conduct studies as an external research partner
- Mechanism- and target-agnostic platform suitable for evaluating diverse bioactive compounds
Out of Scope:
- Platforms that cannot accommodate dietary bioactives, natural ingredients, or complex botanical extracts
Timeline
- Application deadline: August 7
How to Submit
- Submit proposals through the Halo Marketplace platform
- Describe a complete, integrated platform rather than individual technology components
- Demonstrate how the proposed platform satisfies the required technical capabilities
- Include evidence supporting reproducibility, scalability, and relevant validation data
Please note: The full RFP is attached in the "More Information" section of this page. Faculty and researchers interested in applying for these opportunities based on technologies developed or disclosed at Vanderbilt must submit their proposals through the CTTC.