The DOD is Offering the Lung Cancer Concept Award to Support Innovative, High-Risk Research

The intent of the FY24 LCRP Concept Award is to support innovative, non-incremental, high-risk/potentially high-reward research that will provide new insights, paradigms, technologies, or applications in lung cancer. Studies supported by this award are expected to lay the groundwork for future avenues of scientific investigation. The proposed research project should include a well-formulated, testable hypothesis based on a sound scientific rationale and study design. Research applications only in the area of mesothelioma will not be accepted.

Inclusion of preliminary data is not required but is allowed. The strength of the proposed research should be based on sound scientific rationale and logical reasoning. The presentation of substantial preliminary data suggests that the proposed research project would be more appropriately submitted to a different FY24 LCRP funding opportunity. The outcome of research supported by this award should be the generation of robust preliminary data that can be used as a foundation for future research projects. Absence of preliminary data will not negatively affect scientific or programmatic review of the application.

Care Delivery and Health Disparity Option: The FY24 LCRP Concept Award mechanism encourages applications that specifically address the comprehensive lung cancer care and/or health disparities FY24 LCRP Areas of Emphasis by offering a Care Delivery and Health Disparity option. Applications from the Care Delivery and Health Disparity option will be peer and programmatically reviewed separately from applications submitted to the Cancer Research Continuum option.

Relevance to Military Health: The LCRP seeks to support research that is relevant to the healthcare needs of military Service Members, Veterans, and their Families. Relevance to military health will be considered in determining relevance to the mission of the Defense Health Program (DHP) and FY24 LCRP during programmatic review. Investigators are strongly encouraged to consider the following characteristics as examples of how a project may demonstrate relevance to military health:

• Use of military or Veteran populations, biospecimens, data/databases, or programs in the proposed research
• Collaboration with Department of Defense (DOD) or Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) investigators
• Explanation of how the project addresses an aspect of lung cancer that has relevance or is unique to the military, Veterans, other Military Health System (MHS) beneficiaries, or Family readiness of Service Members, including environmental exposures other than tobacco.

All investigators applying to FY24 LCRP funding opportunities are encouraged to consider leveraging resources from the LCRP-funded Lung Cancer Biospecimen Resource Network (LCBRN) if retrospectively collected human anatomical substances and correlated clinical data are relevant to the proposed studies. Samples from the LCBRN are currently available through the Cooperative Human Tissue Network (CHTN). To request LCBRN samples, contact the Division Coordinator for the CHTN Mid-Atlantic division (email: CHTN-MidAtl@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu) located at the University of Virginia.

A congressionally mandated Metastatic Cancer Task Force was formed with the purpose of identifying ways to help accelerate clinical and translational research aimed at extending the lives of advanced state and recurrent patients. As a member of the Metastatic Cancer Task Force, the CDMRP encourages applicants to review the recommendations (https://health.mil/Reference-Center/Congressional-Testimonies/2018/05/03/Metastatic-Cancer-Research) and submit research ideas to address these recommendations provided they are within the limitations of this funding opportunity and fit within the FY24 LCRP priorities.

Applications from investigators within the military services and applications involving multidisciplinary collaborations among academia, industry, the military services, the VA, and other federal government agencies are highly encouraged. These relationships can leverage knowledge, infrastructure, and access to unique clinical populations that the collaborators bring to the research effort, ultimately advancing research that is of significance to Service Members, Veterans, and/or their Families. If the proposed research relies on access to unique resources or databases, the application must describe the access at the time of submission and include a plan for maintaining access as needed throughout the proposed research.