Advanced Development and Validation of Emerging Biospecimen Science Technologies for Basic and Clinical Cancer Research (R33 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is soliciting grant applications for exploratory research projects focused on further development and validation of emerging technologies that improve the quality and handling of samples used for cancer research or clinical care. The goal of this funding opportunity is to support the development of tools, devices, assays, and associated methods for the collection, handling, processing, preservation, or storage of cancer-relevant biospecimens and their derivatives. Some key aspects of this opportunity include: • The development of tools with new capabilities to preserve or protect sample integrity • The establishment of verification criteria for quality assessment/quality control • Addressing issues related to pre-analytical degradation of targeted analytes • The expectation that these technologies will accelerate and/or enhance research in cancer biology, early detection and screening, clinical diagnosis, treatment, or epidemiology • The focus on basic and clinical cancer research, with an emphasis on emerging biospecimen science technologies.