Department of Defense: Peer Reviewed Cancer, Translational Team Science Award

The FY19 PRCRP Translational Team Science Award (TTSA) supports hypothesis-driven translational studies. These studies should be associated with a clinical trial. The proposed project should focus on research for the next-phase clinical trial or future clinical application. The TTSA is intended to support advanced translational studies that are based on results from clinical investigations. While funding for clinical trials is allowed, the TTSA is intended to support multi-investigator, multidisciplinary teams to perform clinical research studies and not only to fund a clinical trial. Research projects funded by the TTSA should address critical knowledge gaps in clinical outcomes, validate key research results, expand upon potentially game-changing results, or investigate novel clinical findings.

New for FY19: The FY19 PRCRP TTSA Areas of Emphasis (strongly encouraged but not required):

·         Interventions to improve quality of life for cancer patients and/or survivors

·         Cancer prevention or early detection

·         Understanding metastatic disease to improve outcomes

Applications proposing a study not within the scope of the FY19 PRCRP TTSA Areas of Emphasis must demonstrate that the research proposed once translated to the clinic will have lasting impact in the research area studied.

The TTSA may support studies in animal models, human subjects, and human anatomical substances. Accordingly, development or use of relevant preclinical models may be included. The TTSA is not intended to support high-throughput screenings, sequencing, etc.

Important aspects of the TTSA mechanism are as follows:

·         Collaboration: The success of the project depends on the unique skills and contributions of each collaborator. At least two, and up to three, Principal Investigators (PIs) must partner in one overarching study in at least one of the required FY19 PRCRP Topic Areas. At least one military or VA investigator is strongly encouraged to be included as an equal partner in the research offering both intellectual investment and research effort.

○         A military or VA investigator is defined as an investigator who is active duty, active reserve, active duty detailed to agencies outside of the DoD, civilian DoD investigators, or an investigator at a VA research facility. The military/VA investigator should have a substantial role in the research and should not be included only for access to active duty military and/or VA populations (see “Relevance to Military Health” below).

·         Translation: The application should provide evidence for the reciprocal transfer of information between basic and clinical science or vice versa in developing and implementing the research plan. Translational research should be based on clinical trials. The application should demonstrate how the study will leverage clinical information to address knowledge gaps in resulting outcomes, validate key research findings, and expand upon potentially translational results, or investigate novel findings.

·          Relevance to Military Health: The proposed research must address at least one of the FY19 PRCRP Military Health Focus Areas. The proposed research must be relevant to active duty Service members, Veterans, and other military beneficiaries. For more information, review the following websites: PRCRP (https://cdmrp.army.mil/prcrp/default), PRCRP Report to Congress (https://cdmrp.army.mil/prcrp/reports/reports), Military Health System (MHS) (https://www.health.mil/), and VA (https://www.va.gov/oro/).

·          Impact: The proposed research should have the potential to have a significant impact on cancer research and/or patient care and the potential to accelerate the movement of promising ideas (in prevention, detection, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and/or survivorship) into clinical applications for at least one of the FY19 PRCRP Topic Areas.

·          Preliminary Data Required: Clinical data must be included in the application and/or citations of the investigators’ work that are relevant to the proposed studies.

The FY19 PRCRP Translational Team Science Award (TTSA) supports hypothesis-driven translational studies. These studies should be associated with a clinical trial. The proposed project should focus on research for the next-phase clinical trial or future clinical application. The TTSA is intended to support advanced translational studies that are based on results from clinical investigations. While funding for clinical trials is allowed, the TTSA is intended to support multi-investigator, multidisciplinary teams to perform clinical research studies and not only to fund a clinical trial. Research projects funded by the TTSA should address critical knowledge gaps in clinical outcomes, validate key research results, expand upon potentially game-changing results, or investigate novel clinical findings.

New for FY19: The FY19 PRCRP TTSA Areas of Emphasis (strongly encouraged but not required):

·         Interventions to improve quality of life for cancer patients and/or survivors

·         Cancer prevention or early detection

·         Understanding metastatic disease to improve outcomes

Applications proposing a study not within the scope of the FY19 PRCRP TTSA Areas of Emphasis must demonstrate that the research proposed once translated to the clinic will have lasting impact in the research area studied.

The TTSA may support studies in animal models, human subjects, and human anatomical substances. Accordingly, development or use of relevant preclinical models may be included. The TTSA is not intended to support high-throughput screenings, sequencing, etc.

Important aspects of the TTSA mechanism are as follows:

·         Collaboration: The success of the project depends on the unique skills and contributions of each collaborator. At least two, and up to three, Principal Investigators (PIs) must partner in one overarching study in at least one of the required FY19 PRCRP Topic Areas. At least one military or VA investigator is strongly encouraged to be included as an equal partner in the research offering both intellectual investment and research effort.

○         A military or VA investigator is defined as an investigator who is active duty, active reserve, active duty detailed to agencies outside of the DoD, civilian DoD investigators, or an investigator at a VA research facility. The military/VA investigator should have a substantial role in the research and should not be included only for access to active duty military and/or VA populations (see “Relevance to Military Health” below).

·         Translation: The application should provide evidence for the reciprocal transfer of information between basic and clinical science or vice versa in developing and implementing the research plan. Translational research should be based on clinical trials. The application should demonstrate how the study will leverage clinical information to address knowledge gaps in resulting outcomes, validate key research findings, and expand upon potentially translational results, or investigate novel findings.

·          Relevance to Military Health: The proposed research must address at least one of the FY19 PRCRP Military Health Focus Areas. The proposed research must be relevant to active duty Service members, Veterans, and other military beneficiaries. For more information, review the following websites: PRCRP (https://cdmrp.army.mil/prcrp/default), PRCRP Report to Congress (https://cdmrp.army.mil/prcrp/reports/reports), Military Health System (MHS) (https://www.health.mil/), and VA (https://www.va.gov/oro/).

·          Impact: The proposed research should have the potential to have a significant impact on cancer research and/or patient care and the potential to accelerate the movement of promising ideas (in prevention, detection, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and/or survivorship) into clinical applications for at least one of the FY19 PRCRP Topic Areas.

·          Preliminary Data Required: Clinical data must be included in the application and/or citations of the investigators’ work that are relevant to the proposed studies.