Stroke Images

The American Heart Association Get With the Guidelines (GWTG) Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to the latest scientific treatment guidelines. The goal of this Request for Proposal is to pilot a GWTG Stroke Image Consortium. Only researchers affiliated with a hospital participating in the GWTG Stroke Quality Improvement Program are eligible to apply.

The potential inclusion of images in the GWTG Stroke Registry program would significantly advance scientific research and insights. Images are critical to several aspects of neuroscience research. They provide an objective endophenotype and increase precision in risk and outcomes. In the era of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), harnessing large scale neuroimaging has the potential to create new discoveries in quality improvement science. The American Heart Association is committed to enabling GWTG hospitals and care centers to share images in a safe and protected manner to advance quality improvement research with the goal of providing better care for patients. 

The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) announcement is to provide funding to pilot a GWTG Stroke Image Consortium. The AHA will fund one consortium to share de-identified image data from individuals enrolled in the GWTG Stroke Registry. The consortium will include three centers that will work collaboratively to share ideas and lessons learned. The lead site of the consortium would be the applicant for this RFP and if awarded will be responsible for initiating subcontracts with the other two sites named in the application.

• This RFP is targeted to hospitals participating in the GWTG Stroke Quality Improvement Program. 

• 2-year implementation award for $460K total (including 10% indirect costs). The budget for the lead site should not exceed $80k per year ($160k total). The budget for the other two sites should not exceed $75k per year per site ($150k total per site). The funding will cover the following aims:
  • Gather and de-identify the neuroimages of diverse groups of patients that have been entered into the GWTG-Stroke registry.
  • Link the images to the patient identifier used in the GWTG-Stroke registry.
  • Upload the data to the AHA Precision Medicine Platform.
  • Collaborate within the consortium to analyze the pooled data and test a significant research question and publish.

• An additional Amazon Web Services (AWS) service credit (up to $50,000) for use of the American Heart Association Precision Medicine Platform may be provided for computational time, use of AWS tools and infrastructure, and storage. Credit amount will be determined based on estimated need over duration of the grant.

We are looking for clinician researchers at hospitals with the GWTG Stroke Program willing to collaborate and lead a new GWTG Stroke Registry Image Consortium.

• The project lead at each site must be an American Heart Association professional member.
  • Join or renew online when preparing an application in Proposal Central or by phone at 1-888-242-2453 or 972-349-5803.
  • Membership/Partnership processing takes 3 to 5 days; do not wait until the application deadline to renew or join.

• Projects may include collaborators from multiple areas of expertise; however, the project proposal must be submitted by a project lead representing an academic or non-profit organization based in the United States.

• Any member of the team can serve as the project lead. Projects may have co-investigators from other collaborating organizations. We strongly recommend that organizations identify only one project lead per project.
  
  
• Preference will be given to applicant organizations that are institutes of higher education, public entities, or nonprofits that are tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and are not private foundations or Type III supporting organizations. Other types of nonprofit and for-profit organizations are also eligible to apply. The American Heart Association may require additional documentation.
  
  
• The multi-center award will be selected based on the ability to deliver these aims:
  
  • Gather and de-identify the images from individuals in the Registry, 
  • Link the images to the clinical Registry data. 
  • Upload the data to a secure workspace on the AHA Precision Medicine Platform. (The data will not be shared outside of the collaborative PIs and teams for the duration of the grant. Eventual governance to access this data will be a joint GWTG Systems of Care Advisory Group and AHA leadership decision.) 
  • Collaborate with pooled data to test a significant research question and publish. 
    
    
• Organizations that are currently funded through other American Heart Association funding mechanisms can apply.
  
  
• Organizations can submit multiple proposals.
  
  
• Applicants will be required to upload de-identified images to a secure and private workspace on the established cloud-based infrastructure of the American Heart Association’s Precision Medicine Platform.

Applications must be submitted using ProposalCentral, the American Heart Association’s online submission portal. The online application requires you to provide information and answer questions beyond what is captured in this document. Deadline is Wednesday, May 29, 2024 at 3 pm CT. 

A review will take place with a diverse group of experts.  Committee members will include data scientists and public health experts.

1.  Research plan - May be up to 6 pages (12-point font, single space, 1-inch margins on all sides)

     Address these specific aims for all three centers in one combined research plan:

• Specific Aims (1 page)
  
  • Gather and de-identify the images from individuals enrolled in the Registry from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2025 at all sites in the consortium. 
  • Link the images to the clinical Registry data at all sites in the consortium.
  • Upload the data to the AHA Precision Medicine Platform. 
  • Collaborate with pooled data to test a significant research question and publish. 

• Research and Methods and Operational plan to achieve the aims at each site (3-4 pages)

• Expected outcomes and deliverables, potential limitations, a timeline, and project success milestones. (1-2 pages)

Duration
Up to 2 years from date of funding, contingent upon milestones and timelines being met.

Number of Awards
The American Heart Association anticipates awarding one multi-center grant.
The American Heart Association reserves the right to determine the final number of awardees.

Multi-Center Award Amount

• The three sites in the multi-center award will receive up to $230K/year for two years, totaling $460K (including 10% indirect costs).  The lead site will be the primary institution on the award and responsible for subcontracting with the other sites.
  • The budget for the lead site should not exceed $80k per year ($160k total).
  • The budget for the other two sites should not exceed $75k per year per site ($150k total per site).
• An additional Amazon Web Services (AWS) service credit (up to $50,000) for use of the American Heart Association Precision Medicine Platform may be provided for computational time, use of AWS tools and infrastructure, and storage. Credit amount will be determined based on estimated need over duration of the grant.

Precision Medicine Platform, research environment, trial workspace
Projects must be conducted via the American Heart Association’s Precision Medicine Platform, powered by Amazon Web Services.

Each team may be eligible to receive Amazon Web Services computational credits to cover the cost of cloud computing for a secure and private workspace on the American Heart Association’s Precision Medicine Platform to enable investigators in each team to collaborate and analyze data securely.

Data analysis is enabled in secure workspaces by a web interface that allows researchers to code in various languages, including R and Python, and to use statistical software including but not limited to SAS and R studio. The most up-to-date machine learning and artificial intelligence software available from Amazon Web Services is also included. Researchers are also able to install their own tools.

The American Heart Association asks that the grantees also accelerate collaboration through the sharing of data and code as well as the coordination for interoperability of data to facilitate findability and sustainability. The American Heart Association fully supports the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) guiding principles of data stewardship.

The Platform is HIPAA compliant. Learn more about the Platform’s Security Information.

To learn more about the Precision Medicine Platform:

• Overview
• Full list of available analytical tools
• Videos:
• Learn more about the platform – video 1
• Explore the capabilities of the platform – video 2

1. Register here for a 60-day complimentary trial workspace to use during the application period.
2. Once registered, login and go to the Data page and click Request Workspace (do not select any datasets).
3. Within the form, please include the following text for your Researcher Purpose: Trial Workspace for Stroke Images RFP

Final Progress Report
Awardees must submit a final progress report progress.  Progress reports may take the form of a required written report in addition to video conferencing, phone calls, and/or face-to-face visits. Reporting will be focused on achievement of stated milestones as indicated in the project timeline. The American Heart Association reserves the right to request additional updates, site visits, or reporting.

Public Access
The American Heart Association’s public access policy requires that all journal articles resulting from American Heart Association funding be made freely available in PubMed Central and attributed to a specific American Heart Association award within 12 months of publication. It is the responsibility of the awardee to ensure journal articles are deposited into PubMed Central

Open Data
Any factual data that is needed for independent verification of research results must be made publicly available in the AHA Precision Medicine Platform within 12 months of the end of the funding period (and any no-cost extension). 

Additional Requirements

• The projects submitted may have no scientific or budgetary overlap with other work funded by the AHA or any other source.
• Any inventions, intellectual property, and patents resulting from this funding are governed by the AHA’s Patent, Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Policy.
• The applicant/awardee and institution are responsible for compliance with all AHA research award policies and guidelines for the duration of any awards they may receive.
• Visit the Research Programs Awards Policies page for more information on this topic: American Heart Association Policies Governing All Research Awards