Biology of Lung, and Head and Neck Preneoplasias (R01) | PA 17 459

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 17 459

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant opportunity titled "Biology of Lung, and Head and Neck Preneoplasias (R01)" (Funding Opportunity Number: PA-17-459; CFDA: 93.396) supports research projects that focus on the biological and mechanistic foundations of preneoplasia that can lead to lung cancer and head and neck (HN) cancers. The central goal is to move beyond identifying early molecular markers of epithelial injury in the aerodigestive tract and instead clarify the underlying molecular events that actually start preneoplastic changes and propel them toward invasive disease. Even with advances in cancer treatment and a growing understanding of tumor genomics, lung and head and neck cancers remain major causes of illness and death in the United States and worldwide, which is why the FOA emphasizes prevention-relevant biology at the earliest stages of cancer development.

This FOA is aimed at studies that can explain how preneoplastic lesions form, persist, evolve, and eventually progress into malignancy. It highlights a key gap in the field: while researchers have detected molecular signs of early injury across the aerodigestive epithelial "field" (the idea that broad areas of exposed tissue may carry cancer-associated alterations), the functional chain of events that turns these early changes into preneoplasia and then cancer is still not well defined. Projects responsive to this opportunity would typically dig into causative pathways and mechanisms, such as the biological drivers of initiation, the molecular changes that support lesion survival or expansion, and the steps that enable invasion. The expectation is that a clearer functional understanding of these early molecular changes will accelerate development of better prevention strategies, earlier intervention approaches, and potentially new therapeutic concepts targeted to pre-cancer or very early disease rather than established tumors.

The funding mechanism is the NIH R01 research project grant, which generally supports hypothesis-driven, investigator-initiated research of substantial scope. The opportunity is listed as a discretionary grant under health and education-related activity categories. The original closing date shown for this announcement is 2021-01-07, and the listing does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards in the provided source data, indicating those details were either not set in the summary fields or are described elsewhere in the full FOA documentation.

Eligibility is broad and includes a wide range of domestic and international organizations. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township, and 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; and Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments. Nonprofit organizations are eligible whether or not they have 501(c)(3) status (so long as they are not institutions of higher education when applying under those nonprofit categories). For-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses may also apply, along with public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities and other entities categorized as "others."

The announcement also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant types, reflecting an intent to include institutions and organizations that serve diverse and historically underrepresented communities and regions. These include Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs); 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; Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized ones; and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, meaning foreign organizations can apply as well.

Overall, this FOA is best understood as an NIH effort to push the field toward a deeper, mechanism-first understanding of how lung and head and neck cancers begin, with preneoplasia as the critical window of study. By funding research that clarifies the causal biology of early lesions and their progression, NIH is signaling that meaningful gains against these cancers will likely come not only from better treatments for advanced disease, but also from knowing exactly what to target earlier, how to identify high-risk changes before invasion, and how to interrupt progression at its most vulnerable stages.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Biology of Lung, and Head and Neck Preneoplasias (R01)" 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 2017-08-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-01-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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.

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