Exfoliated Cells, Bioactive Food Components, and Cancer (R21) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The Exfoliated Cells, Bioactive Food Components, and Cancer (R21) funding opportunity (PA 08 031) is a National Cancer Institute (NCI) grant program designed to push forward early stage, exploratory research on a specific question in cancer prevention nutrition research: whether exfoliated cells can be used as a practical, informative model to monitor how dietary bioactive food components affect the body in ways that may relate to cancer risk. Exfoliated cells are cells naturally shed from tissues (for example, from the lining of the mouth, gastrointestinal tract, or other accessible surfaces) that can often be collected using relatively noninvasive methods. The central scientific aim is to critically evaluate how useful these shed cells are for tracking both (1) exposure to and handling of bioactive dietary compounds (their absorption and retention) and (2) the molecular changes that might occur in intact cells as a result, especially genomic and epigenetic alterations that are relevant to cancer prevention mechanisms.

A major emphasis of the announcement is interdisciplinary collaboration. NCI is explicitly encouraging teams that bring together investigators with expertise in exfoliated cell collection and analysis (such as cell biology, molecular epidemiology, biomarker development, genomics/epigenomics, and analytical chemistry) with scientists focused on nutrition and diet related cancer prevention. The motivation is that exfoliated cells could potentially serve as a convenient window into real time biological responses to dietary interventions or habitual dietary exposures, but the field needs careful validation work to determine what exfoliated cells can and cannot reliably report about internal physiology and cancer related pathways.

This opportunity uses the NIH Exploratory/Developmental Grant mechanism (R21), which is intended for high impact, early stage projects that may be too preliminary for a larger R01 but can generate key proof of concept data, feasibility demonstrations, or critical validation evidence. It is paired with a parallel announcement of the same scientific scope under the R01 mechanism (PA 08 030), signaling that NCI sees a pipeline here: smaller, faster R21 studies can establish whether approaches work, and more mature programs could later be pursued through R01 type projects. The R21 award under this announcement is not renewable, reinforcing its role as a time limited, developmental effort rather than long term support for an established program.

In terms of funding structure, the project period is capped at 2 years. The direct cost limit is $275,000 total across the two year period, with an additional constraint that no more than $200,000 in direct costs may be requested in any single year. The announcement does not commit to a fixed number of awards or a set total budget; instead, award count and sizes depend on the number of applications received and their scientific merit, duration, and cost profiles. Cost sharing or matching is not required.

Eligibility is broad and includes many common U.S. research applicant types as well as some less common categories. Eligible organizations include public or state controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status, so long as they otherwise meet NIH eligibility rules), small businesses, for profit organizations other than small businesses, state governments, U.S. territories or possessions, regional organizations, and eligible federal agencies. Foreign (non U.S.) entities are also eligible to apply, which can be important for nutrition and biomarker studies that may leverage unique populations, dietary patterns, or specialized laboratory capabilities outside the United States. On the investigator side, the program allows any qualified Project Director/Principal Investigator with the appropriate expertise and resources, and it reiterates NIH policy encouraging applications from individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups and individuals with disabilities.

The application policies are also relatively flexible. Applicants may submit more than one application as long as each proposal is scientifically distinct rather than overlapping. Resubmissions are permitted: up to two resubmissions of a previously reviewed R21 application may be submitted, allowing investigators to address reviewer critiques and try again within NIH limits. Renewals are not allowed because the R21 mechanism under this FOA is not renewable.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is categorized as a discretionary grant within health and education related activity areas, tied to CFDA 93.399 (Cancer Control). It was posted November 26, 2007, with a closing date of January 7, 2011, and an archive date of February 7, 2011, meaning it is a historical/archived announcement rather than a currently active solicitation. The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health, specifically NCI, and applicants were directed to the NIH Grants Guide posting for the full details and to NIH Office of Extramural Research support contacts for technical access or linking issues.

Overall, the program can be understood as an invitation to test and validate a potentially powerful, less invasive biomarker strategy for diet and cancer prevention research. If exfoliated cells can reliably reflect uptake of bioactive food components and capture meaningful genomic or epigenetic changes associated with cancer relevant pathways, they could help researchers monitor intervention adherence, biological response, and mechanistic effects in a more practical way than repeated tissue biopsies. The R21 mechanism is meant to enable exactly that kind of careful, high value feasibility and validation work within a short, defined timeframe and budget.

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