Summary
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Roadmap has established a pilot
program called the NIH-RAID Pilot (Rapid Access to Interventional Development),
similar to the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) RAID program, to make
available, on a competitive basis, certain critical resources needed for the
development of new small molecule therapeutic agents. This program, part of the
Translational Research component of Reengineering
the Clinical Research Enterprise, uses resources of NCI's Developmental
Therapeutics Program. The services provided will depend upon the stage of the
project and the strength of the preliminary data. Services potentially
available include: production, bulk supply, GMP manufacturing, formulation,
development of an assay suitable for pharmacokinetic testing, and animal
toxicology. Assistance also will be provided in the regulatory process, through
access to independent product development planning expertise. In the program’s
pilot phase, animal efficacy studies, and synthesis of recombinant proteins,
monoclonal antibodies or reagents for gene therapy will not be supported.
However, the NIH-RAID Pilot will now consider requests for
services to support later-stage preclinical development of monoclonal
antibodies, recombinant proteins, and gene therapy agents.Additionally, the NIH-RAID Pilot will now
consider requests for manufacture of material for any clinical study. For more
information see NOT-RM-08-005
The NIH-RAID Pilot is not a grant program. Successful projects will gain
access to the government’s contract resources, as well as the assistance
of the NIH in establishing and implementing a product development plan. Funds
to support individual projects will come both from Roadmap funds and from
individual Institutes, with Institutes assuming the bulk of support in the
specific disease areas germane to their mission. This co-sponsorship is
critical because of the resource and expertise needs and because the NIH-RAID
Pilot cannot support the full developmental pipeline; an Institute partnership
may therefore be important for subsequent translational efforts.
To obtain access to NIH-RAID Pilot resources, applications must be submitted
electronically through Grants.gov using SF424.
Applications are screened to determine whether the resources requested are
appropriate for this program. Applications are then reviewed by the NIH Center
for Scientific Research. The results of that evaluation along with supplemental
information from the lead investigator will guide final Institute and Roadmap
resource allocation.
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Why a NIH-RAID Pilot?
NIH-Roadmap consultants advised the NIH that a number of promising ideas for
novel therapeutic interventions encounter roadblocks in movement from bench to
bedside testing. Sometimes, translation is facilitated by alliances with
corporate or other private sector partners, but high risk ideas or therapies
for uncommon disorders frequently do not attract private sector investment.
Where private-sector capacity is limited or not available, provision of
developmental resources by the government can bridge the gap between discovery
and clinical testing, so that more efficient translation of promising
discoveries may take place.
The NIH-RAID Pilot is intended to reduce some of the common barriers between
laboratory discoveries and clinical trials of new therapeutic entities.
Projects in both the early and late stages of pre-clinical development are
suitable for NIH-RAID proposals. The NIH-RAID Pilot will accept requests
through 2011.
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What specific services are available for
the pilot program?
The main tasks that are supported by the NIH-RAID Pilot are as follows:
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Synthesis in bulk of small molecules
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Synthesis of oligonucleotides
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Chemical synthesis of peptides
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Scale-up production
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Development of analytical methods
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Isolation and purification of naturally occurring substances
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Pharmacokinetic/ADME studies including bioanalytical method development
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Development of suitable formulations
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Manufacture of drug supplies
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Range-finding initial toxicology
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IND-directed toxicology
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Product development planning and advice in IND preparation
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Later-stage preclinical development of monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, and gene therapy agents
The tasks necessary will vary from project to project. In some cases the
NIH-RAID Pilot will support only one or two key steps for early stage
preclinical development; in other cases it may be possible to provide
assistance with most of the development tasks needed to file an IND.
The output of NIH-RAID Pilot activities, both products and information, will be
made fully available to the originating investigator for support of additional
studies or of an IND application and performance of clinical trials. Data and
product will be transferred to the applicant under the terms of an
NIH-RAID Pilot Material Transfer Agreement (see Intellectual Property
below). For those projects approved for production of a clinical batch, the
final vialed drug product will be delivered in a single shipment; the NIH-RAID
Pilot cannot distribute drug product in multiple shipments or on a per patient
basis. Note:
Again, while the NIH-RAID Pilot will now consider requests for services to support later-stage preclinical development of monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, and gene therapy agents, during the NIH-RAID pilot phase
the program is not able to offer support
for preparation of monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins or gene therapy
reagents. In addition, the NIH-RAID Pilot Program will not provide either in
vitro or animal efficacy testing.
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What NIH-RAID Pilot is not:
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The NIH-RAID Pilot is not a complete drug development program or an
unconditional commitment to develop a particular compound for the clinic.
Development will proceed sequentially, in a logical order, and the start of one
segment of the process (e.g., toxicology) will depend on satisfactory
completion of preceding segments (e.g., formulation). Insurmountable
difficulties in one segment may force abandonment of individual projects, as
they do in any development program.
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The NIH-RAID Pilot does not support either in vitro or animal efficacy testing
or human subject research. The investigator, with advice from the co-sponsoring
Institute, needs to consider alternate sources of support for these components
of the drug development process. For projects close to clinical application,
the investigator needs to develop and document the strategy they expect to
pursue for early phase clinical testing, including possible private-sector
collaborations.
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The NIH-RAID Pilot is not meant to assist industry in its development projects
in the absence of an academic partner. However, academic investigators may have
collaborations with for-profit partners and qualify for NIH-RAID Pilot funding.
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The NIH-RAID Pilot is not intended to yield NIH-held INDs. It is anticipated that the clinical phases of testing will generally occur under investigator-held INDs within the originating (or collaborating) institution or by partnership with an industry partner.
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Role of NIH Institutes and Centers
All NIH Institutes and Centers are participating in the funding of this Roadmap
program. The NIH-RAID Pilot projects will be co-sponsored by Roadmap resources
and one or more Institutes. Applicants do not need to establish Institute
co-sponsorship prior to filing a proposal. However, interested individuals may
contact the NIH-RAID Pilot office or members of the
NIH RAID Pilot Working Group for discussions about Institute
co-sponsorship. When the preliminary work for the project has been supported by
the NIH, requestors are also encouraged to contact their program officer to
discuss suitability of the project for the NIH-RAID Pilot and potential
willingness of the Institute to co-sponsor the project. Several Institutes
already support services like those provided by the NIH-RAID Pilot through
other mechanisms, and have elected not to co-sponsor requests to this program
in those areas.
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NCI: Investigators pursuing the development of therapeutic
agents for cancer will in general be eligible for the programs of the National
Cancer Institute (NCI). See:
http://dtp.nci.nih.gov/docs/raid/raid_index.html. For more information
contact Richard Camalier (camalier@mail.nih.gov).
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NHLBI: The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
supports an integrated and coordinated program of research related to the
causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart, blood vessel, lung, and
blood diseases; and sleep disorders. The NHLBI plans and directs research in
development and evaluation of interventions and devices related to prevention,
treatment, and rehabilitation of patients suffering from such diseases and
disorders. It also supports research on clinical use of blood and all aspects
of the management of blood resources. The treatment goals of NHLBI include new
therapies to improve the outcome of heart and lung transplantation and increase
the supply of donor organs; to improve hematopoietic stem cell transplantation;
to develop the scientific underpinning necessary to be able to repair or
replace damaged or diseased tissues and organs with biological substitutes; to
develop strategies to treat microbial infections that result from
cardiothoracic surgery; and to identify and answer key questions related to
cardiovascular therapy. For more information contact Traci Heath Mondoro, Ph.D.
(mondorot@nhlbi.nih.gov).
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NIA: The National Institute on Aging leads a broad scientific
effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active
years of life. An important component of the NIA mission is focused on
understanding, preventing and treating Alzheimer's disease and related
dementias of aging. The NIA is interested in small molecule agents that
increase the health span of the elderly by preventing or delaying one or more
of the many adverse consequences that accompany aging. For example, these
agents might prevent or reduce: muscle and/or bone weakening, oxidative stress
associated with aging, the age-dependent loss of lean body mass, or metabolic
changes in the elderly that increase disease risk. In addition, the NIA
supports the development of agents that act as mimetics of caloric restriction.
The Institute has a special interest in new small molecule therapeutic agents
that would prevent the onset, or delay the progression, of neurodegenerative
diseases of aging- particularly Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias,
older age-related changes in neuroendocrine systems and their sequelae, and
sensory, motor and sleep disorders of older people. For more information
contact Chhanda Dutta, Ph.D. (DuttaC@nia.nih.gov).
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NIAAA: The mission of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse
and Alcoholism (NIAAA) is to generate new knowledge about the causes of
alcohol-use disorders and their medical consequences, and to use this knowledge
to develop prevention and treatment strategies. NIAAA is interested in requests
for support to develop new medications and probes for alcohol use disorders
with a particular focus on early intervention and the treatment of co-morbid
disorders such as depression and anxiety. For more information contact Nanwei
Cao, Ph.D. (caon@helix.nih.gov).
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NIAID: The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases (http://www.niaid.nih.gov/)
comprises three Divisions, each with a specific biomedical focus.
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The Division of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (DAIDS) addresses
the national research needs created by the advent and spread of the HIV/AIDS
epidemic. Specifically, the Division supports research to increase basic
knowledge of the pathogenesis, natural history, and transmission of HIV disease
and research promoting progress in its detection, treatment, and prevention.
Coinfections and complications of AIDS therapies are additional areas of major
emphasis. Investigators pursuing the development of therapeutic agents for
HIV/AIDS should consult the Resource Guide (http://www.niaid.nih.gov/daids/PDATguide/overview.htm)
for instructions on how to access NIAID contract resources.
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The Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation (DAIT)
focuses on studies of immune system function in the maintenance of health and
in the production of disease. DAIT supports basic and clinical research to
enhance understanding of the causes and mechanisms that lead to development
normal immunity and immune-mediated diseases and transplant rejection. DAIT
supports clinical studies and clinical trials to expand this knowledge base in
order to improve diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of immune mediated
diseases.
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The Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID) supports
extramural research to control and prevent human diseases caused by any
infectious agent except HIV. DMID supports research in
bacteriology, mycology,
virology,
parasitology, biodefense,
emerging infectious diseases, vaccine development, and
microbial genomics. DMID supports a wide variety of projects spanning
the spectrum from basic biomedical research, through applied research,
including developing diagnostic tests, experimental drugs, and vaccines. NIAID
is especially interested in development of novel therapeutic approaches for
infectious or immune-based disorders that do not attract sufficient private
sector research support.
For more information contact Robert Goldman, Ph.D. (rgoldman@mail.nih.gov).
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NIAMS: The mission areas for National Institute of Arthritis
and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease (NIAMS) include arthritis, musculoskeletal
disorders, and skin diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, vitiligo,
psoriasis, muscular dystrophies, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and many other
diseases. For more information contact Gayle Lester, Ph.D. (lester1@mail.nih.gov).
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NICHD: The mission of the National Institute of Child Health
and Human Development (NICHD) is to ensure that all children are born healthy
and wanted, and to minimize disability through rehabilitation. NICHD has an
interest in requests that will lead to treatment for reproductive diseases and
infertility in men and women, the development of interventions that would treat
obstetric-fetal conditions and/or pediatric problems and that would fully
consider the unique pharmacological dynamics of pregnant women and children,
and development of drugs or devices to assist the rehabilitative process. For
more information contact June Lee, Ph.D. (leejun@mail.nih.gov).
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NIDA: The mission of the National Institute on Drug Abuse is to lead the nation in bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction.
Through a series of contracts administered by the Division of Pharmacotherapies and Medical Consequences of Drug
Abuse (http://www.nida.nih.gov/about/organization/DPMCDA/index.html), NIDA supports the discovery
and development of medications for the treatment of drug addiction disorders. For such medications,
it may be advantageous for academic investigators and for NIDA to utilize NIH-RAID Program resources
to support a major portion of preclinical development. The discovery and development of novel
analgesics with little or no abuse liability is another area of NIDA interest; however, while NIDA
provides substantial grant support for basic research that may lead to the discovery of such novel analgesics,
their development generally is not supported by NIDA due to the large market for analgesics and the activity of
the private sector in this area. For more information on partnering with NIDA,
please contact David McCann, Ph.D. (dmccann@nih.gov).
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NIDCD: The National Institute on Deafness and Other
Communication Disorders(NIDCD)(http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/index.asp) covers a
broad range of communication disorders of hearing, balance, smell, taste,
voice, speech, and language. NIH-RAID pilot projects of interest to the NIDCD
would involve the development of new small molecule therapies directed to these
communication systems. Especially important would be therapeutics for the
treatment of hearing and vestibular dysfunctions due to diverse causes,
including noise and ototoxins, imbalanced fluid and mineral composition, and
loss of hair cells. For more information contact Ling Chin, Ph.D. (
lchin@mail.nih.gov).
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NIDCR: The mission of the National Institutes of Dental and
Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) is to improve oral, dental and craniofacial
health through research, research training, and the dissemination of health
information. NIH-RAID pilot projects of interest to the NIDCR would involve the
development of new small molecule therapies for oral cancer, Sjögren’s
syndrome, orofacial pain, dysregulation of dental biofilms, and genetic
disorders of the orofacial system. For more information contact Eleni
Kousvelari, DDS, D.Sc. (kousvelari@de45.nidr.nih.gov).
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NIDDK: The mission areas for the National Institute of
Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) include endocrine and metabolic
diseases, digestive diseases such as hepatitis and inflammatory bowel disease,
kidney and urologic diseases such as kidney failure and prostate enlargement,
and blood diseases such as the anemias. Projects related to Type I diabetes are
supported through a separate initiative:
http://www.niddk.nih.gov/fund/diabetesspecialfunds/T1D-RAID/. For more
information contact Myrlene Staten, M.D. (statenm@mail.nih.gov).
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NIEHS: Human health and human disease result from three
interactive elements: environmental exposure, individual susceptibility
(genetics) and age. The mission of the National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences (NIEHS) is to reduce the burden of human illness and
dysfunction from environmental causes by understanding each of these elements
and how they interrelate. The NIEHS achieves its mission through
multidisciplinary biomedical research programs, prevention and intervention
efforts, and communication strategies that encompass training, education,
technology transfer, and community outreach. In selecting projects for the
NIH-RAID pilot, NIEHS is particularly interested in development of new
therapeutic approaches for treating or preventing injury and disease caused by
the intentional release of chemical agents by terrorists, and for
environmentally associated disorders which do not attract extensive private
sector research support. For more information contact Dennis Lang Ph.D. (DL73v@nih.gov).
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NIMH: The mission of the National Institute of Mental Health
(NIMH) is to reduce the burden of mental illness and behavioral disorders
through research on mind, brain, and behavior with the goal of transforming
prevention and recovery from mental disorders. NIH-RAID projects of interest to
the NIMH would involve the development of novel small molecule therapeutics for
mental disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety
disorders, ADD/ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder,
and PTSD. Projects related to the toxicology and safety testing of novel
imaging ligands are supported through a separate initiative, the Toxicological
Evaluation of Novel Ligands Program (http://www.sri.com:/pddd/nimh/nimh-tox.html).
For more information contact Jamie Driscoll(
jdrisco1@mail.nih.gov )
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NINDS: The mission of the National Institute of Neurological
Disorders and stroke (NINDS) is to reduce the burden of neurological disease -
a burden borne by every age group, by every segment of society, by people all
over the world. NINDS is interested in receiving requests for NIH-RAID Pilot
support that seek to develop new small molecule interventions for neurological
disorders. The institute is responsible for research on many diseases of the
nervous system, both rare and common, and a list of relevant disorders is
available on the NINDS Web site: (http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/disorder_index.htm)
For more information contact Thomas Miller, Ph.D. (MillerT@ninds.nih.gov).
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Eligibility
The NIH-RAID Pilot is intended for use by academic discovery laboratories and
not-for-profit organizations. It is expected that each application will have a
Project Leader with an academic appointment in an institution with an
NIH-assured Institutional Review Board or involve formal collaborations with a
staff member of such an institution.
Can companies use the NIH-RAID Pilot?
The first goal of the NIH-RAID Pilot is to facilitate access of academic centers
and investigators to opportunities for therapeutic development arising from
their research. In the pilot phase, ideas arising solely from a corporate
source without academic collaborators are not eligible. Nevertheless, it is
recognized that partnerships with for-profit entities are critical in the
development process, and products may be licensed to for-profit partners and
still be eligible for the NIH-RAID Pilot. Project Leaders are also free to
negotiate with companies for additional licensing opportunities while the
NIH-RAID Pilot projects are under way. For awarded projects, representatives of
the for-profit partner may attend meetings with the Developmental Therapeutics
Program staff, but the primary point of communication will be the Project
Leader.
Is NIH-RAID open to non-U.S. applicants?
Yes, provided the applicant meets all the other eligibility criteria.
Additionally, please note that the U.S. DHHS Office of Human Research
Protections (OHRP) requires that the recipient of any tangible product intended
for human use have an OHRP assurance number, regardless of the recipient's
location. If the applicant's institution does not already have an OHRP
assurance number, their institution will need to obtain one before the NIH can
manufacture vialed drug product.
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Intellectual Property Rights
It is expected that originating parties will have acquired or be in the process
of acquiring intellectual property protection prior to involvement of the
NIH-RAID Pilot. All intellectual property relevant to the project needs to be
fully described in the application and the
Technology Transfer Form .
As noted previously, most NIH-RAID Pilot tasks will be accomplished by the use
of contracts in the Developmental Therapeutics Program of the NCI. Normally,
NCI will not acquire intellectual property rights to inventions made by its
employees with Research Material under NIH-RAID, unless the originating
investigator and NCI agree that to do so would be in the best interest of the
project. If the NCI does file a patent application, the originating
investigator will be given the opportunity to negotiate for an exclusive
license under procedures set forth in
37 CFR Part 404.
NCI contractors, under the Bayh-Dole Act, may elect to retain rights for a
contribution they make that rises to the level of invention. However, NCI
contractors have, as a term of their funding agreement, agreed to offer a first
option to the originating investigator for license negotiation. Certain other
contractors or subcontractors may be subject to a Determination of Exceptional
Circumstances through which their rights in subject inventions made using
Research Material may be assigned to the originating investigator. Should an
invention occur, the originating academic party will thereby have acquired a
valuable potential ally in commercializing the subject of the research and may
have acquired additional intellectual property if the latter was derived from
collaborative research.
NIH Material Transfer Agreements
(MTAs) will be put into place at an appropriate time after
the approval of a project and will form the basis for sharing confidential
information with NCI and the co-sponsoring Institute.
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Critical Dates
Cycle
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Application Deadline
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Cycle 11
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January 15, 2009
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Cycle 12
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May 15, 2009
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Cycle 13
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September 15, 2009
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Cycle 14
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January 15, 2010
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Cycle 15
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May 14, 2010
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Cycle 16
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September 15, 2010
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Cycle 17
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January 14, 2011
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Cycle 18
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May 16, 2011
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Cycle 19
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September 15, 2011
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