Pancreatic Cancer Detection Consortium: Research Units (U01 Clinical Trial Optional)
NIH NCI will fund multi-disciplinary research units to develop and validate biomarkers and imaging approaches for early detection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and high-risk precursor lesions, including collection of longitudinal biospecimens and consortium data sharing.
⚑ Cooperative agreement U01 with required consortium participation and sharing of biospecimens/data · Clinical Trial Optional · Foreign organizations and foreign components are not allowed · Award ceiling is $600,000
This is a biomedical oncology consortium focused on pancreatic cancer biomarkers, imaging, biospecimens, and clinical detection—well outside IPPRA’s core social-behavioral risk, policy, survey, and evaluation portfolio. Even the machine-learning element is embedded in clinical cancer detection rather than the team’s domains, so this would not plausibly be pursued by this group as PI-led work.
JUDGED AGAINST THE ROSTER'S PUBLICATION DOSSIER · GPT-5.4-MINI · 2026-09-26
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 80 strong | technical depth: substantial; funds applied research |
| IPPRA | 58 good | peripheral portfolio topic: public_health; social/behavioral work is minor; funds applied research; biomedical core — IPPRA health lane is communication/crisis/policy (capped); clinical-trial/biomedical core — IPPRA angle is policy/community (capped) |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 30 weak | funds applied research; deep-tech content |
Description
Through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), NCI solicits 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 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 NCI's 2014 Scientific Framework for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The PCDC will support research for the development and testing of new molecular and imaging biomarkers for detecting PDAC early and for identifying patients at high risk of PDAC (because of genetic factors, family history and/or the 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; develop molecular- and/or imaging-based markers of pancreatic cysts and determine which lesions 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. The PCDC-RUs will also collect longitudinal biospecimens for building a biorepository. Each PCDC-RU is expected to participate in collaborative activities with other PCDC-RUs and share ideas, biospecimens, and data within the Consortium.
Eligibility
Refer to Section III. Eligibility Information in the NOFO for additional information on eligibility.Foreign Organizations/International Collaborations:Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply.Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed.
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: National Institutes of Health <ncipcdc@nih.gov>
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