Due: June 11, 2024
The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to solicit applications for the Research Units (RUs), one of the two scientific components of the Pancreatic Cancer Detection Consortium (PCDC), to conduct research on early detection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and characterization of its precursor lesions to identify those patients who are at high risk of progression to cancer. The PCDC will continue to address one of the four research priorities identified in the National Cancer Institute’s 2014 Scientific Framework for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. The PCDC will support research for the development and testing of new molecular and imaging biomarkers for detecting PDAC early and for identifying those patients at high risk of PDAC (because of genetic factors or presence of precursor lesions) who could be candidates for early intervention. The PCDC-RUs will consist of multi-disciplinary teams and will undertake studies to: identify and test biomarkers measurable in bodily fluids for early detection of PDAC and/or its precursor lesions; determine which pancreatic cysts are likely to progress to cancer; develop molecular- and/or imaging-based approaches for screening populations at high risk of PDAC; use machine learning and computational approaches towards biomarker discovery and/or validation; and conduct biomarker validation studies.