# Presentation: 685012

## Update on Review of Program Project Applications

- National Cancer Advisory Board Presentation
- February 7, 2006
- Diane Bronzert
- Olivia Bartlett
- Division of Extramural Activities, NCI

## NCI Program Project GrantsFiscal Year 2005

- 176 P01 competing and non competing continuation awards
- $338.7 million total costs (includes competitive supplements)
- 16.7% of the RPG budget
- 129 P01 applications reviewed in NCI P01 committees
- 39 competing awards for $66.9 million total costs
- 80% were amended applications (A1 or A2)

## Background

- 1994 – Re-established chartered P01 parent committees
- 2003 – NCI P01 Working Group composed of review staff and representatives from extramural program divisions
- Recommended implementation of small cluster reviews
- Eliminate individual site visits
- Cluster review panels score projects and cores
- P01 chartered committees provide final priority scores
- Cluster review process implemented Feb 1, 2004 for  FY 2005 awards

## 2005 NCI P01 Working GroupExtramural Review and Program Staff

- Summer, 2005 - Evaluated cluster review pilot and made further recommendations
- Recommendations submitted for approval to:
- October, 2005 – NCI Extramural Advisory Board
- November, 2005 - NCI Extramural Division Directors Committee
- December, 2005 – Presented to P01 chartered committees

## Evaluation of P01 Cluster Reviews

- Number of reviewers and meetings decreased
- Review meetings decreased from 125 in FY04 to 56 in FY05 (55%)
- Reviewers decreased from 1398 in FY04 to 969 in FY05 (31%)
- Number of reviewers assigned per application increased
- Improved spread of priority scores
- Positive evaluations from cluster review panel members
- Cost savings of $220,000 in FY05

## NCI P01 Working Group Recommendations

- Continue P01 cluster reviews
- Need to implement “practical” versus “ideal”
- Triage poor applications
- Instituted in FY2006
- Eliminate applicant teleconference during review meeting
- Use time to discuss applications more completely
- SRA will contact the applicant if a critical question must be addressed for the review to proceed

## NCI P01 Working Group Recommendations 

- Implement one year pilot of single tier peer review in large clusters by Special Emphasis Panels (SEPs)
- Implement with February 1, 2006 receipt date
- Broad research topic areas for each SEP
- 4-10 applications per broad topic “cluster”
- SEPs assign project and core scores and overall priority score

## Advantages of Large Cluster Single Tier P01 Review

- Significantly streamlines review process
- Replaces 16-19 cluster meetings and 3 parent committees with 5-7 large cluster meetings per round
- Current chartered committee members attend one meeting each round
- Fewer reviewers needed overall
- Possible to schedule review meetings and recruit reviewers in advance of submissions
- Enhances recruitment of senior reviewers

## Advantages of Large Cluster Single Tier P01 Review

- Facilitates triage of applications
- Triage prior to meeting or during review meeting
- Calibration of scoring easier with fewer review panels
- Cost savings expected
- Review costs in RMS budget as of October 1, 2005 (FY 2006)

## DEA Implementation Plans

- Current chartered committee members distributed among SEPs
- Continue recruitment for chartered committees in 2006
- Three current committees replaced by five SEP committees
- SEPs would form basis for new chartered committees after evaluation of pilot
- Use teleconference and/or mail reviewers on SEPs to increase expertise and ensure continuity with previous review for amended P01s
- Program and review staff would meet to discuss SEP topic areas
- P01 guidelines revised for February 1, 2006 receipt date

## Special Emphasis Panel Research Topic Areas

- Olivia Bartlett, DEA

## Establishment of Special Emphasis Panel Topic Areas - January 9, 2006

- Program and review staff have established boundaries for the new Special Emphasis Panels (SEP)
- Includes descriptions of specific research areas
- Mock clustering exercise using P01 applications reviewed for January and May 2005 NCAB rounds
- Agreement on broad topic areas for SEPs
- Tentative assignment of applications due Feb 1, 2006 (October 2006 NCAB round) to resulting SEPs based on Letters of Intent

## Parameters for Establishing P01 Special Emphasis Panel Topic Areas

- Maximum of 4 to 6 SEPs
- Number of P01s has decreased – 31 applications for February 2006 NCAB
- Even distribution of applications across clusters each round
- A minimum of 4 applications per round
- Areas of overlap to allow assignment to more than one cluster
- Workload management
- Manage member conflicts
- Clusters should cross NCI Extramural Research Programs

## Current P01 Chartered CommitteeResearch Areas

- Committee C – Basic Sciences
- Cancer biology, carcinogenesis, viral oncology, basic radiation biology, hematopoiesis, structural biology, molecular genetics and marker discovery, drug discovery
- Committee D – Clinical Sciences
- Chemotherapy, biologics, immunology, radiation and surgical oncology, gene therapy, transplantation, clinical biomarkers, drug development
- Committee E – Cancer Epidemiology, Prevention and Control
- Chemoprevention, nutrition, epidemiology, gene/environment interactions, cancer control, behavior, prevention, early detection including medical imaging

## P01 Special Emphasis Panel Topic Areas

- Molecular Biology
- Carcinogenesis (including viral oncology);
- DNA replication, damage, and repair;
- Basic studies of radiation biology
- Molecular genetics and structural biology
- Cell and Tissue Biology
- Tumor microenvironment including metastasis
- Molecular and cellular aspects of tumor biology
- Basic studies of immune mechanisms
- Hematopoiesis and stem cell biology

## P01 Special Emphasis Panel Topic AreasContinued

- Discovery and Development
- Biomarker discovery and development
- Drug discovery, development, and delivery through phase 0 studies;
- Technology development including medical imaging
- Clinical Studies
- Immunotherapy and transplantation
- Chemotherapy
- Molecularly targeted therapy and gene therapy
- Radiotherapy and surgery

## P01 Special Emphasis Panel Topic AreasContinued

- Prevention, Control and Population Sciences
- Population-control and population-based studies in the areas of cancer prevention
- Cancer epidemiology including risk analysis, genetic and environmental factors
- Health services and outcomes research;
- Surveillance including risk factor monitoring;
- Nutrition, diet and energy balance;
- Cancer survivorship and quality of life
- Behavioral interventions;

## Evaluation of Pilot	

- Feedback from reviewers
- Feedback program and review staff
- Number of reviewers required
- Length of review meetings
- Measures of scoring calibration
- Costs
- Other measures

## P01 Review Special Emphasis Panels 

|   | Broad Topic Areas |                 Number of P01 Applications |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|   |   | JAN 2005 NCAB | MAY 2005 NCAB | LOIs for
OCT 2006 NCAB |
| 1 | Molecular Biology | 8 | 9 | 8 |
| 2 | Cell and Tissue Biology | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| 3 | Prevention, Control and Population Sciences  | 3 
(+ 5 R01/U01/U24) | 8 | 6 |
| 4 | 
Discovery and Development | 12 | 12 | 6 |
| 5 | Clinical Studies | 11 | 10 | 7 |
|  | Total P01s | 42 | 47 | 35 |