Molecular Imaging of Inflammation in Cancer (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 24 311

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 24 311

The NIH funding opportunity PAR-24-311, titled "Molecular Imaging of Inflammation in Cancer (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)," supports R01 research projects aimed at improving how cancer-related inflammation is studied inside living systems. The central goal is to develop and apply current or emerging molecular imaging technologies to generate fundamental, in vivo insights into how inflammation interacts with cancer over time. A key premise behind the program is that many existing studies of cancer inflammation still rely heavily on in vitro or ex vivo approaches, which can miss the dynamic, evolving nature of inflammatory processes within tumors and throughout the body. By pushing investigators to study these interactions in vivo with better spatial and temporal resolution, the NOFO is trying to unlock observations that are difficult or impossible to capture using traditional bench or tissue-based methods alone.

A major emphasis of the NOFO is on molecular imaging probes and integrated imaging strategies that can characterize inflammatory biology at the molecular and cellular level in real time or near real time. This includes approaches suitable for both preclinical and clinical investigations, as long as the proposed work does not include a clinical trial. The intent is that improved imaging tools and methods will allow researchers to identify and quantify inflammatory cell physiology within cancers, track molecular changes as tumors evolve, and observe how inflammation-related pathways respond to therapies. In practice, this could mean developing novel probes, optimizing existing tracers for higher specificity, combining complementary imaging modalities, or building imaging workflows that link molecular readouts to biological mechanisms relevant to tumor initiation, progression, immune involvement, and treatment response.

The NOFO strongly encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration, specifically pairing cancer basic science expertise with imaging science and technology development. The expectation is that these collaborations will yield imaging approaches that are not just technically impressive but also tightly connected to meaningful cancer biology questions about inflammation. Projects are expected to advance understanding of cancer-inflammation interactions by designing imaging methods that can interrogate these processes in a way that is mechanistically informative, quantitatively robust, and relevant to how inflammation functions in the living tumor microenvironment rather than only in isolated samples.

This is a discretionary NIH grant opportunity using the R01 mechanism, and it is explicitly designated as "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning applications should be focused on research and method development that does not meet NIH criteria for a clinical trial. The opportunity falls under health-related CFDA numbers 93.394, 93.395, and 93.396. The listed award ceiling is $500,000, and the original closing date is January 7, 2028, indicating a multi-year window during which applications may be accepted according to NIH submission cycles and the NOFOs stated due dates.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic applicants such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses, as well as state, county, city/township, and special district governments. It also includes independent school districts, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) along with other tribal organizations. The NOFO also highlights additional eligible applicants such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISI institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, HBCUs, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, it makes clear that non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible, reinforcing that the applicant organization and its components must be U.S.-based.

Overall, this opportunity is designed for research teams that can bring together imaging innovation and cancer inflammation biology to create or refine molecular imaging approaches that reveal how inflammatory processes shape cancer behavior in vivo. The program is essentially a push toward more precise, dynamic, and mechanistically grounded imaging of inflammation in cancer, with the longer-term payoff being better biological understanding and a stronger foundation for future diagnostic and therapeutic advances.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Molecular Imaging of Inflammation in Cancer (R01 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): 93.394, 93.395, 93.396.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-11-06.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2028-01-07.
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 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 24 311

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