Eradication of Invasive Quagga and Zebra Mussels Using Engineered Disseminated Neoplasia | BOR DO 19 N020

Opportunity Information: Apply for BOR DO 19 N020

The grant opportunity titled "Eradication of Invasive Quagga and Zebra Mussels Using Engineered Disseminated Neoplasia" is a research and development effort from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation. It was offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement (Funding Opportunity Number BOR DO 19 N020; CFDA 15.560) with a maximum award amount of $1,500,000 and an expectation of one award. The posting date was June 18, 2019, with an original closing date of June 27, 2019. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with additional eligibility details referenced in the full opportunity materials.

The core goal of the project is to develop a biologically based control method for two highly damaging aquatic invasive species: quagga mussels and zebra mussels (dreissenid mussels). Instead of relying on mechanical removal or chemical treatments, the project proposes an advanced biotechnology approach: engineering mussel immune cells (hemocytes) so they become "induced" disseminated neoplasia cells, abbreviated as iDNCs. Disseminated neoplasia in bivalves is a cancer-like disease in which abnormal cells spread through the animal, disrupting normal function and ultimately causing death. The concept behind this opportunity is to create engineered cells capable of transmitting and propagating a lethal cancer within mussel populations in open-water settings, potentially providing a new tool to suppress or eradicate infestations that are difficult to manage with conventional techniques.

The work described is assigned to Biomilab, LLC under the agreement, and it is organized around a set of technical milestones that move from foundational lab capability to controlled testing in live mussels. One major task is setting up a dedicated facility for keeping live quagga and zebra mussels. This matters because the project depends on consistent access to healthy animals for cell extraction, transplantation studies, and repeated experiments, and because maintaining these species requires specialized aquatic systems and biosecurity controls.

Another major task focuses on developing methods to culture mussel cells outside the animal for extended periods. This includes figuring out the right conditions for keeping explanted (tissue-derived) and dissociated (separated into individual cells) mussel cells alive and growing, which is often challenging for non-model aquatic invertebrates. Alongside culture development, the project calls for establishing reliable techniques for genetic modification of these cells, implying the need for workable gene delivery and expression systems in dreissenid hemocytes.

A related set of tasks addresses how cultured cells can be transplanted back into living mussels, whether they can engraft (survive and persist in the host), and how they behave once introduced. This includes determining the conditions that support survival of transplanted cells and doing deeper characterization of the target genes and gene products that would be used for genomic modification. In practical terms, this means identifying which genetic pathways or markers are important for creating and maintaining a disseminated neoplasia-like phenotype, and which engineered changes could make the induced cells robust enough to persist, spread, and exert the intended lethal effect.

The central engineering step is converting normal dreissenid hemocytes into genetically modified hemic disseminated neoplasia cells, the iDNCs. Beyond creating them, the opportunity emphasizes the need for methods to keep iDNCs in long-term culture, expand them to larger quantities, and cryopreserve them. Those requirements point to an end-to-end pipeline: producing the engineered cells, scaling them up for repeated experiments or eventual deployment scenarios, and freezing/storing them to ensure consistent batches and long-term project continuity.

The culminating task is the introduction of iDNCs into live quagga and zebra mussels as well as control mussels, followed by analysis of engraftment, dissemination, and toxicity. This phase is designed to answer the key performance questions: do the engineered cells reliably establish within the host, do they spread through the animal in a way consistent with disseminated neoplasia, and do they produce the intended lethal outcomes. The mention of control mussels indicates the project is expected to compare treated versus untreated or sham-treated animals to distinguish effects caused by the iDNCs from background mortality or procedural stress. Overall, the opportunity describes a stepwise R&D program aimed at proving feasibility of an engineered, transmissible cancer-cell approach as a novel method to control invasive dreissenid mussels in open-water environments.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Eradication of Invasive Quagga and Zebra Mussels Using Engineered Disseminated Neoplasia" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.560.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 18, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 27, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for BOR DO 19 N020

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: