# Presentation: 433635

## The Early Detection Research Network:

**Biomarker Developmental Laboratories (BDL)**
**RFA-CA-05-023**

**Pre-submission Meeting**
**November 3****rd****, 2004**

**Jacob Kagan, M.Sc., Ph.D.**
**Cancer Biomarkers Research Group**
**Division of Cancer Prevention**
**National Cancer Institute**

## The information presented in following 

**The information presented in following **
**slides is a general overview.  Applicants **
**must consult RFA CA-05-23 for detailed **
**information on the scope of this RFA,**
**application procedures, and review **
**criteria**

## BDL RFA-CA-05-023 

**This RFA is a reissue of **_**RFA-04-006,**_** which was published in the NIH Guide on September 22, 2003**
**The purpose is to invite new and competing renewal cooperative agreement and NIH intramural applications to continue the national Network that has the responsibility for  development evaluation and validation of biomarkers for earlier cancer detection and risk assessment **
**The RFA is available at: ****http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-05-023.html**

## Receipt and Review Schedule 

** ****Letter of Intent Receipt Date: November 22, 2004**
** ****Application Receipt Date: December 20, 2004**
** ****Peer Review Date: March 2005**
** ****Council Review: June, 2005**
** ****Earliest Anticipated Start Date: July 1, 2005**

## Mechanism of Support

- Cooperative Agreement award mechanisms (U01)
- The Principal Investigators retain the primary responsibility for planning, directing, and executing the proposed projects
- NIH Program Coordinator is substantially involved as a _Partner_ with the Principal Investigators

## Definition

- _Biological Marker (Biomarker)_
- A characteristic that is objectively measured and evaluated as an indicator of normal biologic processes, pathogenic processes, or pharmacologic responses to a therapeutic intervention.

- Source: Biomarker Definitions Working Group - 1998

## Goals

**Goals**
**Early Detection Research Network**

**Phases of Biomarker Development and Validation**
**      ****	**

- Pepe, SM. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2001 Jul 18;93(14):1054-61.

## Phase II and Phase III Studies

**The EDRN is primarily focusing on Phases II and III**
**Phase II:** studies to determine the capacity of biomarkers to distinguish between people with cancer and those without.
**Phase III:** studies to assess the capacity of a biomarker to detect preclinical disease by testing the marker against tissues collected longitudinally from research cohorts.

## The Primary Roles of the Biomarker Developmental Laboratory – BDL

-  The primary roles of the Biomarker Developmental
- 	Laboratory (BDL), within the Early Detection Research
- 	Network (EDRN), are to develop and validate biomarkers
- 	for early cancer detection and or risk assessment; and to
- 	move discoveries form the laboratories to patient or
- 	population research setting or to move observations
- 	from patients setting back to the laboratory.

## Biomarker Developmental Laboratory – BDL 

- 	The BDL may also develop relevant technologies and assays 	for biomarker detection, and analytical tools for the evaluation 	of biomarkers. A Major components of this process are to 	standardize assays and to develop methods of analytic 	quality control.

## The Biomarker Developmental Laboratory – 

**BDL ****Continued..**

-  Among other, the laboratory should have knowledge and 	practical experience with Standard Operating Procedures 	(SOPs) and in evaluation of the accuracy, precision 	reproducibility and performance characteristics (e.g., 	sensitivity and specificity and positive and negative 	predictive values of tests in multi-center settings)

## Two Ways to Participate in EDRN Collaborative Studies

- Participate in collaborative network validation studies
- Participate in analytical validation studies as requested by the SC

## Submitting an Application 

**Use the standard PHS 398 forms**
**The research plan (sections A to D) should be**
**replaced with the following sections:**
** ****The Applicant **
-  Major objectives and experience
-  Specialized or unique facilities; Cores;
-  Institutional and Private sector resources that might be 	used support the project
-  Ongoing Grant Support;
-  The roles of key personnel, collaborators, consultants

## Submitting an Application 

**2) Scope of Research**
- For competing renewal applicants, section 2 should _also_ have a description of the goals of the previous grant and include the scientific progress form the previous project period. Indicate the status of developed markers according to the biomarker developmental phases (Pepe et. al., 2001).

## Submitting an Application continued .. 

- For all applicants, depending on the composition and structure of the group, this section may be organized as distinct projects or as one integrated plan; in either case, the page limitation is the same.
-  Define the major research questions and apportunities related to objectives of EDRN that their group 	effort proposes to undertake.
-  Applicants should describe the approaches to be taken by  	the group in the aggregate or as inter-dependent projects, 	and should describe the rationale for approaches to be 	used or planned for development.
-  Highlight how the diverse expertise of the group 	contributes to innovation, and flexibility to redirect 	research when scientific progress warrants it; 	ability to 	anticipate new directions, based on their individual 	experience; and ability to contribute to the Network 	collective effort.

## Submitting an Application continued .. 

**3. Collaborations**
- For competing renewal applications, applicants should describe their participation in the EDRN activities, and the contributions in terms of collaborations within, and outside the Network in meeting the EDRN missions (see EDRN Second Report, _[http://www3.cancer.gov/prevention/cbrg/edrn/edrn_report2002.pdf](http://www3.cancer.gov/prevention/cbrg/edrn/edrn_report2002.pdf)__, Metrics for Programmatic Evaluation). Also they are  required to list all approved collaborative studies by the EDRN Executive Committee. Letter of approval or the minutes of the EDRN Executive Committee indicating the approval should included in Appendix. _

## Submitting an Application continued .. 

- For new applications, applicants should describe the experience of their group in collaborative programs and activities with academic and industry partners.
- Examples:
-  demonstrated evidence of collaborative projects and 	publications
-  demonstrated evidence of collaborative funding; and
-  sharing of data and resources, e.g., specimens, technology,  	research protocols.
- The collaborative requirements are integral to EDRN activities and applications will be judged for their scientific merits of the collaborative study, not just the individual study.

## Submitting an Application continued .. 

- In Section 3, applicants must include their specific plans for responding to the "Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award" section.
-  State their willingness to collaborate and share data freely  	with the other EDRN components
-  To participate in planning and attending workshops and 	symposia
-  To serve on the SC and be bound by its decisions
-  To be able and willing to share data and research resources 	with each other and the NCI.

## Submitting an Application continued .. 

- At the end of Section 3, applicants must append a letter from the applicant institution describing how that institution intends to meet the NIH policies for sharing of data or why data sharing is not possible. In this regard, attention is drawn to the NIH Final Statement on Sharing Research Data (_[http://](http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing/index.htm)__[grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing/index.htm](http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing/index.htm)_ and _[http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-03-032.html](http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-03-032.html)_), which was published in the NIH Guide on February 26, 2003.

## Budget

** ****Administrative costs**
-  Travel expenses: PI and one senior investigator to 	attend two EDRN Steering Committee meetings and 	one workshop or symposia per year
-  May include salary support for the PI’s administrative 	staff
** ****Collaborative Study**
-  When you join an EDRN collaborative study, funds will 	be allocated from EDRN core funds to cover costs. 	Upon EDRN SC approval core fund may be also used 	to cover analytical validation of biomarkers, assay 	development and refinement, data management, etc.

## Budget

**  ****Set aside 20% of Annual budget for EDRN ****	****	****Validation and other Collaborative Studies**
- The competing renewal applicant should set aside funds from the first year onward
- The new applicant should set aside funds after the first year onward for Network collaborative studies.
- The use of these set-aside funds will be restricted and must be reviewed and approved by the Steering Committee and then recommended to, and approved by the NCI for release from the individual U01 awards

## Budget

- 3) Budget for Data Collection on relevant common 	data elements (CDEs)
- 4) Research Budget - as for R01 grants

## Review Criteria

**Significance**
- To what extent are the specific aims integrated to address the proposed goals?
- The proposed research should reflect the urgency of scientific needs in the area of biomarker-based diagnostics possible only through a consortium or a network approach
- Does the proposal uniquely discuss challenges and issues relevant to cancer detection and screening?
- How would the proposed research complement or augment existing detection systems or methodologies?

## Review Criteria

-  Does the research plan fit the EDRN- established phases of 	biomarker development for early detection of cancer?
-  Indicate the potential of moving biomarkers to Phase II or 	Phase III in the next five years
-  What is the potential impact of these studies, if successful?

## Review Criteria continue...

**2. ****	****Approach**
- Has the applicant clearly defined their objective, hypothesis and scientific plan?
- Is the study design, methods, and analyses adequately developed and appropriate to address the specific aims?
- Discuss potential pitfalls and alternative strategies
- Adequate sample size and statistical methods
- Are  biomarkers characterized by parameters, such as sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value?

**Review Criteria**** ****continue...**

## Review Criteria continue...

- Discuss how you intend to minimize biases and reproducibility issues in the proposed study design?
- Does the applicant have demonstratable evidence for bringing biomarkers to Phase II or Phase III?
-  Are the chosen approaches suitable for the development of biomarkers/reagents in other cancers?
-  Is the proposed approach or technology adaptable, or has the potential to analyze large samples in population setting for screening purposes?

## Review Criteria continue...

**3. Innovation **
-  Is the project original and innovative?
-  Does the proposed project challenge existing paradigms or  clinical practice?
-  Does the project develop or employ novel concepts, approaches, methodologies, tools, or technologies for this area?
-  Will the approaches advance the field of biomarkers/reagents development in the context of cancer detection and risk 	assessment?

## Review Criteria continue...

**4. Investigators**
- Does the principle investigator, the key personnel and the collaborators have appropriate training and experience to execute the project.
- Does the PI have track record of publishing papers relevant to cancer detection and risk assessment?
- Have the investigators establish a collaboration/s or teamed with a consultant to complement and enhance their expertise?
- How will this team of investigators contribute their unique skills to assist the Network in the development and validation of Biomarkers?

## Review Criteria continue...

**5. Environment**
-  Access to required human specimens, e.g. tissues, biological 	fluids, archived materials, normal controls, pathology reports 	etc.
-  Does the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success?
-  Evidence of institutional support
-  Has the applicant adequately addressed his/her institutional patent policy

## Review Criteria continue...

**6. Additional Review Criteria**
**6.1.****	****Collaborative Strengths  and Interactions**
-  Are there adequate plans for effective collaboration with the  other EDRN components (DMCC, BDL, CEVC, SC) and NCI?
-  Do the investigators state their willingness to abide by the priories and policies agreed upon by the SC for collaborative studies?
-  Plans for the set up of sound communication procedures among the EDRN collaborators
-  Are plans for collaborations provided for individual research objectives?
-  state your willingness to collaborate and share information

## Review Criteria continue...

**6.3. Protection of Human Subjects form research risk**
**6.4. Inclusion of women, minorities and children in research**
**6.5. Care and use of vertebrate animals in research**
**6.6. Sharing Research Data**
- 		Applicants must include a data sharing plan in their application. The reasonableness of the data sharing plan or the rationale for not sharing research data will be assessed by the reviewers. However, reviewers will not factor the proposed data sharing plan into the determination of scientific merit or priority score.

## Review Criteria continued..

**6.7. Budget**
- Does the budget reflect that applicant understands the requirements of managing a BDL in the Network enterprise?
- Is the commitment of effort appropriate to the scope of the project, and are the resources and environment adequate to support the project?

## Review Criteria continued..

- For competing renewal applications, applicants will be also evaluated on their performance of EDRN validation and developmental studies, and their overall contribution to collaborations within, and outside the Network in meeting the EDRN missions (see EDRN Second Report,
- _[http://www3.cancer.gov/prevention/cbrg/edrn/edrn_report2002.pdf](http://www3.cancer.gov/prevention/cbrg/edrn/edrn_report2002.pdf)_, Metrics for Programmatic Evaluation).

## Award Criteria

**Scientific merit (as determined by the peer review)**
**Availability of funds**
**Programmatic Priorities**