Notice of Availability of Administrative Supplements for Discovery of Cancer Biomarkers in the HIV/AIDS Population

Key Dates
Release Date: June 6, 2008
Receipt Date: July 10, 2008

Issued by
National Cancer Institute (NCI), (http://www.cancer.gov/)

Purpose

The Division of Cancer Prevention, NCI, has set apart funds in fiscal year 2008 (FY08) that are specifically designated for studies on biomarkers of AIDS and HIV-associated cancers. The NCI is requesting applications for administrative supplements for NCI-funded U01 or U24 awards associated with the Early Detection Research Network or the Alliance of Glycobiologists for Detection of Cancer or Cancer Risk.

The NCI has particular interest in investigators who might seek to complement their research on cancer biomarkers with studies on HIV-positive individuals who develop cancer. Effective therapies to treat AIDS have led to prolonged survival of HIV-infected patients. While antiretroviral therapy has diminished risk to the development of cancers such as Kaposi’s sarcoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the likelihood of developing these cancers still remains higher in this population than in the non-infected population. Moreover, preliminary data suggests that this population is now exhibiting a significant risk of developing certain non-AIDS defining malignancies such as anal, colorectal, lung, oropharyngeal, liver, renal, and vaginal cancers as well as melanoma and Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The NCI is interested in supporting studies to identify biomarkers for these AIDS-related malignancies and determine if the biomarker profiles differ from those in the noninfected population.

Several repositories are available for appropriate studies on AIDS-related malignancies. The NCI Office of the AIDS Malignancy Program supports the AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource (http://acsr.ucsf.edu/) which provides AIDS malignancy biospecimens to qualified investigators. Other repositories are supported by NIH programs such as the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (http://www.statepi.jhsph.edu/macs/macs.html) and Women’s Interagency HIV Study (https://statepiaps.jhsph.edu/wihs/). These programs have developed extensive repositories of prospectively and longitudinally collected patient samples. The AIDS Malignancy Program will assist interested qualified investigators in providing access to these repositories of collected specimens from HIV-positive subjects.

Projects related to malignancies occurring with higher prevalence in the HIV-infected population are particularly encouraged. Projects may also focus on malignancies showing equal prevalence between infected and non-infected populations in relation to comparisons of biomarker signatures between both populations. Examples of research objectives for the supplements may include:  1) Discovery of new biomarkers relevant to cancers that have been shown to occur at an increased rate in the HIV-infected population,e.g., anal cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma, liver cancer and lung cancer. 2) Determination of whether biomarkers associated with cancers of the HIV-infected population have similar specificity and sensitivity in histologically identical cancers in the non-infected population. 3) Study strategic screening processes to define risks for developing cancers in the HIV-infected population. 4) Develop biomarkers for viral associated cancers that often occur in HIV-infected populations. 5) Studies identifying biomarkers that may be used to assess progression or treatment outcome of HIV-associated malignancies.

Detailed instructions for applying for these administrative supplements are posted at http://edrn.nci.nih.gov/funding-opportunities/aids-supplement-instructions.pdf . The receipt date for administrative supplement applications is July 10, 2008. Before submitting a proposal, each applicant (i.e., PI) is encouraged to discuss the feasibility of their research proposal with one of the Program Directors listed below.

The earliest anticipated award date for this program will be September 1, 2008. A final report is due at the conclusion of this supplemental funding.

Inquiries

Inquiries concerning scientific, programmatic and review matters should be directed to:

Karl Krueger, Ph.D.
Program Director
Cancer Biomarkers Research Group
Division of Cancer Prevention
6130 Executive Boulevard, MSC 7368
Bethesda, MD 20892-7368 (for U.S. Postal Service express or regular mail)
Rockville, MD 20852 (for express/courier delivery)
Telephone: (301) 594-1044
Fax:  (301) 402-8990
kruegerk@mail.nih.gov

For specific inquiries concerning AIDS-associated malignancies please contact:

Geraldina Dominguez, Ph.D.
Program Director
Office of HIV and AIDS Malignancy
National Cancer Institute
6120 Executive Blvd, MSC 7204
Bethesda, MD 20892-7204
Voice: 301-496-3204
Fax:    301-480-4137
E-mail: domingug@mail.nih.gov