Through this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) is soliciting applications for the establishment of the Management and Data Coordination Unit (MDCU), one of the two scientific components of the Pancreatic Cancer Detection Consortium (PCDC). The PCDC will continue to address one of the four research priorities identified in the National Cancer Institute's 2014 Scientific Framework for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma and conduct research on early detection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and characterization of its precursor lesions to identify those patients who are at high risk of progression to cancer. The PCDC-MDCU will provide support toward collaborative efforts such as: study design, protocol development, statistical analysis, coordination and data management. Other PCDC-MDCU activities include: coordination and support toward biorepository building; and organizational and logistics support for PCDC activities.
The other scientific component of the PCDC will be the Research Units (PCDC-Rus; see companion PAR-21-334). The PCDC-RUs will conduct research for the development and testing of new molecular and imaging biomarkers for early detection of PDAC and/or for identifying those patients at high risk of PDAC (because of genetic factors and/or family history or presence of precursor lesions) who could be candidates for early intervention.