Neural Regulation of Cancer (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 19 354

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 19 354

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity titled "Neural Regulation of Cancer (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (Funding Opportunity Number PAR-19-354) supports exploratory, early-stage research projects that investigate how the nervous system influences cancer. The core aim is to push forward a more complete understanding of the nervous system's role in tumor biology, especially in how neural activity and neural-derived signals may contribute to tumor initiation, progression, and metastasis. The FOA is designed to bring together investigators and approaches from both neuroscience and oncology, encouraging teams to cross traditional disciplinary lines and use neuroscience concepts, tools, experimental models, and reagents to uncover cancer-relevant mechanisms that may be missed by standard cancer biology approaches alone.

This opportunity emphasizes transdisciplinary collaboration where the neuroscience component is not just a side feature, but a central driver of innovation in cancer research questions. Projects are expected to leverage established and emerging neuroscience capabilities, such as neural circuit analysis, neuroimmune interaction tools, neurophysiology methods, neuronal and glial cell biology, and other mechanistic approaches, to identify novel pathways through which the nervous system may promote or regulate non-central nervous system (non-CNS) tumors. The long-term motivation is practical as well as biological: by clarifying how neural inputs shape tumor behavior, the resulting knowledge could inform new strategies for cancer prevention and treatment, including interventions that target neural-tumor communication or downstream signaling processes.

The award mechanism is an NIH R21, which generally aligns with high-risk, high-reward, hypothesis-generating research and early proof-of-concept studies rather than large, fully mature programs of work. Consistent with that purpose, the listed award ceiling for this opportunity is $200,000. Clinical trials are explicitly not allowed under this FOA, meaning proposed studies should focus on basic, translational, or preclinical research rather than testing interventions in human participants as clinical trials. The funding instrument is a grant, and the activity area is categorized under Education and Health with CFDA number 93.396.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education, since those are listed separately); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The FOA also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, tribal governments other than federally recognized tribes, and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities or foreign organizations.

Key administrative details from the source include that the opportunity is discretionary, administered by NIH, and was created on 2019-08-28, with an original closing date listed as 2022-05-27. While the posting includes a field for expected awards, the number is not provided in the supplied data. Overall, this FOA is best suited for research teams proposing innovative, mechanistic studies that connect neural biology to tumor behavior and that can open up new directions for understanding and ultimately intervening in cancer outside the central nervous system.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Neural Regulation of Cancer (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.396.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-08-28.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-05-27. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for PAR 19 354

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