Immunoregulation of Gastrointestinal Carcinogenesis (R01)

-Purpose. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) issued by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), solicits grant applications from researchers interested in the investigations of two aspects of gastrointestinal carcinogenesis, which include: (1) the roles of the mucosal immune system in initiating and maintaining inflammatory responses that contribute to the development of premalignant and malignant gastrointestinal cancers; and/or (2) the molecular mechanism(s) by which immunoregulatory cells dampen inflammation and decrease tumorigenesis. Applications submitted in response to this FOA should be focused on research that will increase our understanding of how the unique gastrointestinal microenvironment shapes mucosal immune responses in the setting of inflammatory disease-associated carcinogenesis. The ultimate goal of this scientific initiative is to generate a comprehensive understanding of how the innate and adaptive immune responses participate in gastrointestinal carcinogenesis. -Mechanism of Support. This FOA will utilize the NIH Research Project Grant (R01) award mechanism and runs in parallel with an FOA of identical scientific scope, PA-06-290, that solicits applications under the Exploratory/Developmental Grant (R21) award mechanism. -Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards. Awards issued under this FOA are contingent upon the availability of funds and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.