Title:
Studies of Energy Balance and Cancer in Humans (New PA)

Contact:

Virginia W. Hartmuller, Ph.D. Analytic Epidemiology Research Branch
Epidemiology and Genetics Research Program
DCCPS, NCI
Telephone: (301) 594-3402
E-mail: hartmulv@mail.nih.gov

Objective of Project:

The objective of this initiative is to support new research within NIH-funded grants and contracts in order to expand efforts to define factors affecting energy balance and mechanisms influencing cancer risk, prognosis, and quality of life in humans. Self-report and objective measures of diet, anthropometry, and physical activity, as well as biologic samples can be utilized to explore new hypotheses. Many studies have collected data on several or all of these parameters, but because the initial hypotheses may not have been related to energy balance, data analyses to determine links were not conducted. Three grant mechanisms are supported under this PA to conduct ancillary studies of energy balance and cancer; the mechanisms are: NIH Investigator-Initiated Research Project grants (R01), NIH Exploratory/Development grants (R21), and Competitive Supplements to existing NIH-funded grants.

Description of Project:

Epidemiologic and intervention research within human populations can provide essential self-report and objective measures about diet, anthropometry, and physical activity, all of which are important in unraveling the role of energy balance in cancer risk and prognosis. These measures can be linked with biologic specimens such as blood, urine, exfoliated cells, and other tissues to study underlying metabolic and genetic etiologic mechanisms in relation to energy balance and cancer. In order to be eligible to apply for this PA, applicants should be funded under an NIH grant or contract that already has collected measures from human subjects on two or more of the following exposures: diet, physical activity, body composition, and/or related biomarkers. Applications should involve analyses of the optimal combinations of these measures to explore relationships between energy balance and cancer risk and prognosis by proposing new hypotheses within existing studies. Applications should also encourage collaborations among scientists working in the areas of nutrition, physical activity, genetics, biochemistry, and other disciplines. At least three types of additional research could be supported within existing studies including the following approaches: 1) testing new hypotheses with existing data; 2) performing additional assays on existing biologic specimens to examine new hypotheses; and 3) collecting and analyzing additional self-report or objective measures of diet, anthropometry, physical activity, and/or biological specimens.