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Stand Up To Cancer – Lustgarten Foundation Pancreatic Cancer Interception Dream Team

Grant Amount $7,000,000 USD
Grant Term4 Years
Letter of Intent DeadlineMarch 22, 2017 12:00 PM (EST)
Letter of Intent Notification DateMay 2017
Application DeadlineJune 26, 2017 12:00 PM (EST)
Decision Date10/27/2017 12:00:00 AM
Description

Submissions of ideas will be invited for a translational cancer research project that addresses critical problems in pancreatic cancer and positively impacts patients in the near future, with the goal of advancing innovative approaches to prevent or intercept the disease-causing process, and making data available in a format amenable to open access analytics. Prioritized areas of interest include both applied and fundamental research including: The discovery and implementation of innovative methods that effectively detects pancreatic cancer at an early and surgically curable stage; new tools for monitoring disease progression and therapeutic response, which could potentially serve as surrogate endpoints for clinical trials and regulatory approval; investigation of novel chemoprevention or immune prevention approaches; the development of risk prognostication methods for pre-invasive pancreatic neoplasms and other conditions that elucidates the molecular details underlying that increased risk; the understanding of immune suppression and inflammation mechanisms that promote pancreatic cancer and the design of methods to circumvent this; and more generally research targeted at generating sufficient knowledge to justify a clinical intervention to test novel hypotheses related to early detection and treatment of pancreatic cancer.

This proposed project is expected to benefit patients through investigation by a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional, synergistic Dream Team of expert investigators. Priority will be given to applications that are characterized by a diversity of team members, including those from fields outside the traditional realms of biomedical research (e.g. physics, mathematics, engineering, health policy, and communications). Specific aims of the project may include basic research, translational studies, and population studies but the overall proposal must have a strong clinical research component. Proposals for this Dream Team research project must present plans indicating how the work will be translated into clinical application. The concepts will be evaluated on innovation, feasibility, opportunities for success and further development, including improved long-term outcomes for patients.

Through a partnership with leading health care research and innovation collaborative OptumLabs, each team will have the ability to conduct research using OptumLabs' proprietary database of de-identified claims and electronic health record data, analytic tools, and research support to pursue the proposed goals of the Dream Team. Appendix A provides more information on OptumLabs. Collaboration with OptumLabs is optional, and anticipated participation should be delineated as part of the research proposal narrative.

OptumLabs will be conducting information sessions in late February for applicants who are interested in learning more about the OptumLabs Data Warehouse. A non-disclosure agreement will be required to participate in these sessions. If you would like more information or to register to attend, please email [email protected] by February 15, 2017 and include your name, institution and dream team leader name. OptumLabs will contact interested parties about next steps, including dates and times of the information sessions.

Eligibility Criteria

To maximize creativity, innovation, and collaboration, the Dream Team must include laboratory and clinical researchers, senior and/or young investigators, and senior scientists who have not worked together in the past.

Each Team will consist of a Dream Team Leader, a Dream Team Co-leader, no more than four additional Dream Team Principals, and at least two Advocates.

The Dream Team Leader, Co-leader and Principals, collectively referred to as Key Personnel, must have acquired a doctoral or medical degree, and must be independent investigators affiliated with an academic, medical, or research institution. There are no citizenship or residency status restrictions.

The Dream Team Leader and Co-leader are expected to each dedicate at least 20 percent (or 40 percent combined) of their time and effort to the Dream Team research project. Dream Team Principals must each dedicate at least 10 percent of their time and effort to the Dream Team research project.

No Dream Team will have more than one Key Personnel (Dream Team Leader, Co-leader, or Principal) from any given institution at the time of their initial appointment on the Team. No more than two Key Personnel may be from affiliated institutions. It is expected that additional Investigators from the Dream Team Leader's, Co-leader's or Principals' institutions may be involved in the Dream Team research project in some other capacity, and there is no limit to the number of Investigators from each of these institutions that may contribute to the Dream Team project.

Employees or subcontractors of for-profit industry are not eligible to serve as a Dream Team Leader, Co-leader, or Principal, however their participation as Collaborators is encouraged, where appropriate, to foster the development of novel diagnostic and treatment strategies. No grant funds may be directed to Collaborators working within a U.S. government institution/agency or a for-profit industry. Confidentiality and intellectual property issues must be negotiated with Collaborators prior to their participation in a Dream Team research project.

Young Investigators, including junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows, clinical research fellows, or any other researchers working under the direction of a scientific mentor, are not eligible to serve as a Dream Team Leader, Co-leader, or Principal, however their participation in the Dream Team research projects is encouraged.

There are no citizenship or residency status restrictions. Neither members of the SU2C SAC nor members of their individual laboratories are eligible for funding as part of the Stand Up To Cancer Colorectal Cancer Dream Team Translational Research Grant. Key Personnel should not be funded on more than one SU2C-sponsored Dream Team grant. Except for the Dream Team Leader and Co-leader, scientists may be funded concurrently on SU2C and SU2C Canada grants. No more than 50 percent of the Principals (including Leader and Co-leader) from a previous Dream Team may apply as a group on a new Dream Team proposal.

Citizenship Requirements

There are no citizenship or residency status restrictions.

Application Instructions

The AACR requires applicants to submit an electronic application via proposalCENTRAL by 12:00 pm (noon), Eastern Time on Wednesday, March 22, 2017 using the proposalCENTRAL website at http://www.proposalcentral.altum.com.

The Program Guidelines and Application Instructions are available in PDF format.

The Call for Ideas document is available here.