DoD Prostate Cancer Impact Award

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The PCRP Impact Award mechanism was first offered in FY10. Since then, 157 Impact Award applications have been received, and 23 have been recommended for funding. The Impact Award encourages applications that support the full spectrum of research projects or ideas that specifically focus on scientific and clinical prostate cancer issues, which, if successfully addressed, have the potential to make a major impact in eliminating death from prostate cancer and enhancing the well-being of men experiencing the impact of the disease. The critical components of this award mechanism are: Impact: The Impact Award is intended to support research that demonstrates the potential to have a major impact on an area of paramount importance in prostate cancer. It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator (PI) to clearly and explicitly describe the potential impact of the proposed study on prostate cancer and to convey its level of significance. Applicants are highly encouraged to address one of the PCRP overarching challenges, and are expected to address at least one of the PCRP focus areas. If the proposed project does not address any of the overarching challenges, the application should describe how the project will nevertheless address a critical need in the field of prostate cancer research and/or patient care. The Impact Award is intended to support the full spectrum of research ideas from basic research to clinical trials. While the potential impact of the proposed research may be near-term or long-term, it must be significant and non-incremental. Applications must articulate the pathway to making a clinical impact for individuals with, or at risk for, prostate cancer, even if clinical impact is not an immediate outcome. To maximize the potential for impact, investigators are strongly encouraged to incorporate the following components into their study design where appropriate: authentication of proposed cell lines; statistical rigor of preclinical animal experiments; incorporation of experiments to assess clinical relevance and translatability of findings. As such, the PCRP-funded Prostate Cancer Biorepository Network (PCBN) (http://www.prostatebiorepository.org) and/or the North Carolina – Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project (PCaP) (http://www.ncla-pcap.org) are important resources to consider if retrospectively collected human anatomical substances or correlated data are critical to the proposed studies. Studies utilizing data derived from large patient studies that include long-term health records, biospecimen repositories, and pre-existing research and that apply state-of-the art genomic and/or proteomic analysis, bioinformatics, and/or mathematical models to such data are also encouraged. Research Scope: The PCRP seeks applications from investigators from a spectrum of disciplines including, but not limited to, basic science, engineering, bioinformatics, population science, translational research, and clinical research, including clinical trials. Only small-scale (i.e., up to and including Phase II or equivalent) clinical trials are allowed. Projects that incorporate population science-based approaches are particularly encouraged. Applications must include preliminary data to support feasibility of the study. Any unpublished, preliminary data provided should originate from the laboratory of the PI or a member(s) of the research team.

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