Recently, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a Request for Information (RFI), asking for both public and cancer research community input on the National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB) Blue Ribbon Panel. The Blue Ribbon Panel is part of the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative, which is led by Vice President Joe Biden and aims to make more cancer therapies available, while continuing to improve cancer prevention and early detection. Additional details of the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative can be found at http://www.cancer.gov/research/key-initiatives/moonshot-cancer-initiative.
The purpose of the NCAB is to ensure that the National Moonshot Initiative’s goals and approaches are grounded in solid science. The Blue Ribbon panel is a panel of experts assembled to guide the NCAB’s work and is composed of leading experts from a broad range of scientific areas including biology, immunology, genomics, diagnostics, bioinformatics, and cancer prevention and treatment. The panel does not just include researchers, however, it also includes clinicians and nurses, as well as representatives of cancer advocacy organizations and the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
NIH is seeking community input to help “enable the Blue Ribbon Panel to consider a wide range of input from researchers, scientists, physicians, advocates, students, data scientists, and members of the public.” They are requesting input in the following specific areas: expanding clinical trials; enhanced data sharing; cancer immunology and prevention; implementation sciences; pediatric cancer; precision, prevention, and early detection; and tumor evolution and progression.
The request for information is for planning purposes only and should not be construed as a solicitation for applications or proposals, or as an obligation on the part of the United States federal government.
If you have any questions about this particular RFI, you can contact Kelli Marciel at the National Cancer Institute at 9609 Medical Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-9760, kelli.marciel@nih.gov, or (301) 594-3330.
NIH is asking for responses to be submitted to either the National Cancer Institute (NCI) or NIH before July 1, 2016 at 5:00 pm EST. Responses can be submitted electronically through the online platform or via email to cancerresearch@nih.gov. While electronic responses are preferred, non-electronic responses can be accepted by calling the NCI Cancer Information Service at (800) 422-6237, or by mail to Blue Ribbon Panel, National Cancer Moonshot Initiative, National Cancer Institute, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-9760.