I am an early career physician scientist, on year 4/5 of my K23. I recently submitted a U01 grant to NIAID to study novel drug combinations in patients with M.abscessus lung disease. Despite having it reviewed and approved by the IICT committee in advance, having 6 seasoned clinical sites, two biomarker groups, and submitting before the deadline on May 13, I was notified on May 27 that the grant had been withdrawn due to “issues related to the Simplified Review Process.” There is no clear recourse and few funding opportunities of the scale that would support such a large but potentially transformative trial.
