Cancer Tissue Engineering Collaborative: Enabling Biomimetic Tissue-Engineered Technologies for Cancer Research (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 25 171

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - NCI/NIH PAR-25-171 (R01)

1) What is PAR-25-171 trying to fund?

PAR-25-171 funds R01 research projects that build and rigorously characterize next-generation biomimetic, tissue-engineered technologies to be used as experimental cancer research models. The emphasis is on creating in vitro and ex vivo systems that reproduce cancer behavior in real human tissues more faithfully than conventional approaches.

2) Which NIH institute is offering this opportunity?

The opportunity is offered by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

3) What kind of grant mechanism is being used?

This opportunity uses the NIH R01 mechanism.

4) Are clinical trials required?

No. Clinical trials are listed as optional, meaning a project may include clinical trial components if appropriate, but clinical trials are not required.

5) What types of technologies or platforms is NCI looking for?

NCI is looking for biomimetic, tissue-engineered cancer research model platforms that go beyond superficial resemblance to tumors. The expectation is that the engineered system is developed and then used to test a clear, measurable cancer research hypothesis about cancer pathophysiology under controlled conditions.

6) What is the overall scientific goal of these models?

The goal is to create experimental systems that more accurately capture how cancers behave in human tissue context, including aspects of the tumor microenvironment, and to use these systems to generate credible, reproducible insights into cancer biology.

7) Does the NOFO emphasize any particular research approach?

Yes. The NOFO emphasizes multidisciplinary work that brings together regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, biomaterials, and bioengineering with cancer biology.

8) Is it enough to just build a model that looks like a tumor?

No. The NOFO states that NCI is not looking for platforms that only resemble tumors superficially. Funded projects are expected to develop the engineered system and use it to address a specific, testable hypothesis about cancer pathophysiology in a controlled and measurable way.

9) What does "rigorously characterize" mean in the context of this opportunity?

Based on the opportunity description, it means careful benchmarking and performance assessment so other scientists can understand what the model does well, its limitations, and what biological questions it is best suited to answer.

10) What is the Cancer Tissue Engineering Collaborative (TEC) Research Program?

The Cancer TEC Research Program is a coordinated effort in which awardees collectively participate. It is intended to accelerate progress and help make resulting tissue-engineered technologies broadly useful to the wider research community.

11) Will awardees be expected to collaborate with other funded teams?

Yes. A defining feature is that funded projects will not operate in isolation; awardees will collectively participate in the Cancer TEC Research Program.

12) What are the stated goals of the Cancer TEC Program?

The program goals are: (1) catalyze innovation and improve the quality and characterization of tissue-engineered model systems for cancer research; (2) expand the range of systems to cover multiple cancer types; and (3) encourage use of these biomimetic platforms to study cancer phenomena that are difficult to capture with conventional cell culture or animal models.

13) Does the opportunity prefer certain cancer types?

The description indicates an intent to expand tissue-engineered systems across multiple cancer types rather than focusing on a narrow set of diseases.

14) What kinds of biological questions are these models meant to address?

The NOFO points toward studying specific cancer phenomena and pathophysiology that are difficult to capture with conventional cell culture or animal models, using controlled and measurable experiments enabled by biomimetic tissue context.

15) Are tumor microenvironment and tissue context important here?

Yes. The opportunity emphasizes models that incorporate key aspects of the tumor microenvironment and tissue context.

16) What is the award ceiling listed for this opportunity?

The opportunity lists an award ceiling of $400,000.

17) What is the original closing date?

The original closing date provided is May 7, 2025.

18) When was the NOFO created?

The NOFO creation date is November 22, 2024.

19) What is the funding instrument type and category?

The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and uses the grant instrument type. Activity categories span education and health.

20) What CFDA numbers are associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity lists CFDA numbers 93.393, 93.394, 93.395, 93.396, and 93.399.

21) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad and includes: state, county, and local governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and state-controlled universities; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations (501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses.

22) Are minority-serving institutions and community-based organizations eligible?

Yes. The NOFO explicitly includes Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, AANAPISI institutions, Hispanic-serving Institutions, HBCUs, TCCUs, and faith-based or community-based organizations as eligible applicants.

23) Are U.S. territories or regional organizations eligible?

Yes. The NOFO includes regional organizations and U.S. territories or possessions among eligible applicants.

24) Can foreign organizations apply?

Yes. The opportunity includes non-U.S. entities (foreign organizations) as eligible applicants.

25) Are federal agencies allowed to apply?

Yes. The NOFO lists eligible federal government agencies among the eligible applicants.

26) What kind of team is this NOFO designed to attract?

It is designed to attract multidisciplinary teams capable of engineering sophisticated cancer-relevant tissues and then using those engineered systems to generate credible, reproducible insights into cancer biology.

27) Is the focus on in vitro models, ex vivo models, or both?

Both. The opportunity explicitly calls for in vitro and ex vivo systems.

28) What does NCI want the broader community to gain from these projects?

The description emphasizes making technologies broadly useful by improving quality, characterization, benchmarking, and clarity about a model's strengths, limitations, and best-fit use cases, so other scientists can adopt and interpret the platforms appropriately.