Key Dates

Related Announcements

PA-20-272 - Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional)

Reissue of NOT-CA-21-041 - Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Administrative Supplement for Genome-wide Genotyping of Existing Samples from Minority Racial/Ethnic Populations and Sharing of Associated Epidemiologic Data

Issued by

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Purpose

Through this Notice of Special Interest (NOSI), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) seeks to leverage existing biospecimens to increase the representation of racial/ethnic minority individuals in germline genome-wide data repositories with accompanying exposure, phenotype, and outcome data. Funds obtained through these administrative supplements should be used for processing existing samples and analyzing and managing the derived data from understudied racial/ethnic populations studies. These studies will also need to successfully compete for germline genome-wide genotyping services offered by the NIH Center for Inherited Disease Research (CIDR) program through a companion application to PAR-20-230 (Instructions for a CIDR submission for this initiative are found on this page). Data from this NOSI initiative are expected to be broadly shared with the extramural research community. This Notice is a reissuance of NOT-CA-21-041.

Background

Recent efforts have attempted to enhance racial and ethnic minority representation in research, including: African American or Black, Asian, American Indian or Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (e.g., Guam, Tonga), or Latino or Hispanic, as defined in the NIH Health Disparities Strategic Research Plan. However, disparities remain in the representation of racial and ethnic minorities in germline genetics studies with companion phenotypic and epidemiologic exposure information.

The inadequate representation of racial/ethnic minority populations in germline genetics data repositories limits the translational impact for cancer control in these populations, thus potentially compounding preexisting health disparities seen in the United States. Understanding variability in germline genomic factors along with other exposures is critical for understanding the etiology of cancer and developing appropriate prevention and screening strategies for specific populations. Continued health disparities underscore the urgency to ensure appropriate representation of minority populations in genomic and cancer epidemiologic research in order to improve the prevention and control of cancer in all populations.

Research Objectives

Through this NOSI, the NCI seeks to leverage existing biospecimens to increase the representation of racial/ethnic minority samples in germline genome-wide genotyping data repositories with accompanying exposure, phenotype, and outcome data. Data from this NOSI initiative will be broadly shared with the extramural research community.

This NOSI is to support sample handling, statistical and informatic analysis, and data management to share phenotypic and risk factor data (e.g. environmental exposures and other covariate data and outcomes). A companion application to CIDR will support genotyping services.

Applications relevant to this NOSI should address cancer research topics that include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Germline genotyping of underrepresented racial/ethnic minority populations of cancer cases and controls to investigate associations of genetic variants with cancer risk or outcomes;
• Germline genotyping to build Polygenic Risk Scores (PRS) for cancer in underrepresented populations;
• Germline genotyping for investigating the combined influence of genetic and environmental factors on cancer risk or outcomes in underrepresented racial/ethnic minority populations; and
• Germline genotyping to serve as a resource or catalog of genetic variation in an underrepresented population for evaluation or future discovery.

Application and Submission Information

Applications for this initiative must be submitted using the following opportunity or its subsequent reissued equivalent.

PA-20-272 - Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional)

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and PA-20-272 must be followed, with the following additions:

Eligibility:

• Administrative supplement applications are limited to currently funded projects supported by NCI and applicants must submit a companion application to CIDR as described below.
• PDs/PIs must hold an active eligible R01, R37, P01, U19, U01, UG3/UH3, or UM1 grant award supported through NCI. Requests for no-cost extensions on the parent grant to accommodate a supplement will not be permitted.
• The proposed project for supplemental funding is required to be within the scope of the parent award.
• The focus of the parent award does not need to have been on underrepresented racial/ethnic populations, although biospecimens for this supplement request must have already been collected.
• For supplements to parent awards that include multiple PDs/PIs, the supplement may be requested by any or all of the PDs/PIs (in accordance with the existing leadership plan) and submitted by the awardee institution of the parent award.
• Applicants must be willing and be able to deposit genetic and environmental data in dbGaP or another NIH data repository in a manner consistent with participant consent.
• Applicants must submit a companion application by May 6, 2021 to CIDR through PAR-20-230 requesting to perform the genotyping planned in the supplement application.

Application Due Date: Submissions must be received by May 20, 2021.

Budget and Period of Support:

• • The budget should not exceed $150,000 in total costs.
  • Funding is limited to sample handling, statistical and informatic analysis, and data management to share phenotypic and risk factor data (e.g. environmental exposures and other covariate data and outcomes data). Note: This opportunity will not support new biospecimen collection.
  • At least one full year on the parent grant must remain at the time of funding. The application budget is limited to 1 year only.
  • If an applicant anticipates a balance of 50% or more of the current total costs for the parent grant, please contact the scientific research contact prior to submitting an application.

• • Only one supplement application per grant will be accepted for consideration through this NOSI.

Submitting Applications:

• Applicants should begin the supplement application abstract by stating This application is being submitted in response to the Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) identified as NOT-CA-21-049.
• For funding consideration, applicants must include "NOT-CA-21-049" (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.
• In order to be considered for this initiative, applicants must also submit an application to PAR-20-230 by May 6th, 2021 for access to the CIDR Resource for genotyping services. Submission of both applications is required for consideration for this supplement opportunity.
• Page limits: The Research Strategy must not exceed five (5) pages and must summarize the activities of the parent grant that encompass those proposed in the supplemental request and describe how those activities are proposed for augmentation and/or enhancement in the supplemental request by:
  • Describing the supplement’s purpose, relationship of the supplement request to the parent grant (proposed research much be within scope of the parent grant), and the additional value provided to the underlying funded research (parent grant) of the PI and the collaborating investigators.
  • Detailing the proposed population, available biospecimens, and environmental or phenotypic data to be shared.
  • Justifying the population being investigated and how inclusion of this population will address gaps in representation of racial/ethnic minority samples in germline genome-wide genotyping studies with accompanying exposure, phenotype, and outcome data.
• All supplement requests must be submitted electronically through eRA Commons, see PA-20-272 for more information.

Administrative Review Process:

NCI will conduct administrative reviews of applications submitted and will support the most meritorious applications submitted for consideration, based upon the programmatic priorities and availability of funds.

Review Criteria:

• Is the investigator approved for access to the CIDR resource for the genotyping for this project, through the X01 application process (PAR-20-230)?
• Does the administrative supplement reasonably allow for the proposed project to be completed, given the time and budget requested?
• Does the proposed project for supplemental funding include, and appropriately justify the inclusion of the underrepresented racial/ethnic minority population, biospecimens and/or data?
• Does the proposed project for supplemental funding fill an identified gap in the scientific literature that advances cancer research?
• Does the applicant provide evidence of having access to the appropriate biospecimens and data to complete the project?
• Has the applicant agreed to share data broadly via an NIH supported repository?

Applicants are strongly encouraged to notify the program contact of the parent award that a request has been submitted in response to this NOSI to facilitate efficient processing of the application.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Leah Mechanic, Ph.D.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-6847
Email: [email protected]

Melissa Rotunno, Ph.D.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Telephone: 240-276-7245
Email: [email protected]