Key Dates

Related Announcements

PAR-19-277 - NCI Exploratory Grants in Cancer Epidemiology (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)

PAR-20-052 - NCI Small Grants Program for Cancer Research for Years 2020, 2021, and 2022 (NCI Omnibus R03 Clinical Trial Optional)

PAR-18-869 - Modular R01s in Cancer Control and Population Sciences (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)

PAR-21-035 - Cancer Prevention and Control Clinical Trials Grant Program (R01 Clinical Trial Required)

PAR-19-287 - Research Projects in Cancer Systems Biology (U01 Clinical Trial Optional)

PAR-19-309 - Stimulating Innovations in Behavioral Intervention Research for Cancer Prevention and Control (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)

PAR-19-113 - Cancer Tissue Engineering Collaborative: Enabling Biomimetic Tissue-Engineered Technologies for Cancer Research (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)

PAR-20-077 - NCI Program Project Applications (P01 Clinical Trial Optional)

PA-20-185 - NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

PA-20-187 - NIH Pathway to Independence Award (Parent K99/R00 Independent Clinical Trial Required)

PA-20-188 - NIH Pathway to Independence Award (Parent K99/K00 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

PA-20-201 - Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (Parent K08 Independent Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)

PA-20-202 - Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (Parent K08 Independent Clinical Trial Required)

PA-20-203 - Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (Parent K08 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

PA-20-260 - PHS 2020 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC, and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

PA-20-261 - PHS 2020-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications (Parent STTR [R41/R42] Clinical Trial Required)

PA-20-262 - PHS 2020-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC, and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Required)

PA-20-265 - PHS 2020-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Applications (Parent STTR [R41/R42] Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

PA-20-207 - NIH Support for Conferences and Scientific Meetings (Parent R13 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

PA-20-194 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Required)

PA-20-195 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

PA-20-196 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Basic Experimental Studies with Human Required)

PA-20-183 - NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Required)

PAR-20-070 - NIA Research Infrastructure Development for Interdisciplinary Aging Studies (R21/R33 Clinical Trial Optional)

PA-20-190 - Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (Parent K01 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

PA-20-191 - Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (Parent K01 Independent Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)

PA-20-204 - Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (Parent K23 Independent Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)

PA-20-205 - Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (Parent K23 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

PA-20-206 - Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (Parent K23 Independent Clinical Trial Required)

Issued by

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Purpose

The purpose of this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) is to solicit investigator-initiated applications that aim to better understand the effects of a cancer diagnosis and subsequent cancer treatment on aging trajectories and aging outcomes.

Background

With the advent of successful screening strategies and more effective treatments, cancer survivors are now living longer. However, this success has come with a cost: the treatments that cancer survivors are administered have been shown in laboratory studies to cause cell damage through many of the same mechanisms that are thought to underlie the normal aging process. Thus, the treatments that spare cancer survivors from mortality related to their cancer may adversely alter their aging trajectory, putting the cancer survivor at risk for a broad spectrum of aging-related health conditions at a younger age than would occur with the normal aging process. While this is biologically plausible, there is a paucity of studies that have examined whether the molecular and cellular changes resulting from treatment toxicity lead to the emergence of aging-related outcomes and alter aging trajectories throughout survivorship.

In July 2018 and February 2019, National Cancer Institute (NCI) convened two multidisciplinary think tanks, Measuring Aging and Identifying Aging Phenotypes in Cancer Survivors and Strategies to Prevent or Remediate Cancer- and Treatment-Associated Aging . The purpose of these think tanks was to discuss the state of the science related to cancer, cancer treatments, and aging trajectories. Several research gaps emerged, including a need for longitudinal studies with both cancer treatment and aging-related outcome data to examine aging trajectories, mechanistic studies to better understand the biological mechanisms (such as the hallmarks of aging) underlying the early-onset of aging phenotypes in cancer survivors, long-term surveillance to monitor survivors for late-emerging effects, statistical modeling strategies to support the analysis of data from multiple sources (i.e. data related to cancer and aging), and interventions that prevent, reverse, or mitigate adverse aging-related effects experienced by cancer survivors due to cancer or cancer treatment. Addressing these research needs, as well as other gaps in knowledge in this research area, will improve the evidence base and inform strategies to optimize healthy aging for cancer survivors.

Research Objectives

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) are interested in applications that address one or more of the research gap areas as outlined in Guida et al. (2019), Guida et al. (2020), and above. These include, but are not limited to:

• Investigation of aging trajectories associated with specific cancer treatments and identification of cancer survivors at risk for an accelerated aging phenotype;
• Examination of the effects of specific cancer treatments on aging biology that may alter aging trajectories or aging outcomes;
• Development and/or validation of tools, technologies, measures, or techniques for the identification of late-emerging effects and aging phenotypes among cancer survivors;
• Use of old and young animal models to determine the effects of established and newer cancer therapies on aging endpoints;
• Development and/or testing of interventions designed to prevent, mitigate or reverse the adverse aging-related effects of cancer and cancer treatments; and
• Development and/or testing of interventions focused on models and processes of care delivery to intervene at the intersection of cancer treatment and aging.

Investigations in understudied populations, including those that are medically underserved, are encouraged.

Application and Submission Information

This notice applies to due dates on or after March 8, 2021, and subsequent receipt dates through January 7, 2024.

Submit applications for this initiative using one of the following funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) or any reissues of these announcements through the expiration date of this notice.

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and the funding opportunity announcement used for submission must be followed, with the following additions:

• For funding consideration, applicants must include NOT-CA-21-031 (without quotation marks) in the Agency Routing Identifier field (box 4b) of the SF424 R&R form. Applications without this information in box 4b will not be considered for this initiative.

Although NCI and NIA is not listed as a Participating Organization in all the FOAs listed above, applications for this initiative will be accepted.

Applications nonresponsive to terms of this NOSI will be withdrawn from consideration for this initiative.

Inquiries

Scientific/Research Contact(s):

Lisa Gallicchio, Ph.D.
National Cancer Institute
Telephone: (240) 276-5741
Email: lisa.gallicchio@nih.gov

Basil Eldadah, M.D., Ph.D.
National Institute on Aging
Telephone: (301) 496-6761
Email: eldadahb@nia.nih.gov