Stanford Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB)
Pilot Project - Request for Applications
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**Internal funding opportunity for faculty with UTL, MCL, NLTR and CE faculty appointments and for researchers in other positions with a faculty mentor (see eligibility >>). The Stanford CCSB aims to identify the mechanisms in which tumor cells instruct the immune system to tolerant them by focusing on the understudied role of lymph node invasion in tumor-mediated immunosuppression.
Deadline: July 31, 2018, 5 p.m. (see application guidelines below)
Amount of Funding:
Pilot Project(s): $50,000 (direct cost) for 1 year
One pilot project will be selected for funding with a start date of Aug. 1, 2018-July 31, 2019
Purpose:
Stanford University Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB) has been selected as a Research Center in NCI Cancer Systems Biology Consortium (CSBC). This is an NIH-NCI funded U54 five-year grant, (PI: Sylvia Plevritis, PhD and Co-PI: Garry Nolan, PhD) that will fund a pilot project each year.
The purpose of the pilot project is to expand the network of investigators and to explore new ideas that complement the current CCSB projects. The seed funding can support one proposal @ $50,000. The pilot project should engage Stanford community (see eligibility) who are not currently part of the U54 grant but have novel ideas that apply principles of systems biology to tumor immunology. These Projects are intended for the exploration of new ideas and emerging opportunities that are distinctly different from, but complementary to the current CCSB projects. Successful Pilot Projects will be guided and mentored by senior faculty and selected based on the likelihood of future funding.
Eligibility:
- Stanford faculty with PI eligibility [those with University (UTL), Medical Center (MCL), Research (NTLR) appointments] and Clinician Educator (CE) faculty. (Note: CE faculty PI waivers are not needed for internal Stanford funding opportunities.)
- Senior postdoctoral fellows (with a minimum of two year) with a faculty mentor
- Clinical fellows with a faculty mentor
- Research associates with a faculty mentor
- Instructors with a faculty mentor
- Applications will be accepted from targeted schools (Medicine, Engineering, and Humanities & Sciences) and Departments (Electrical Engineering, Bioengineering, Applied Physics, Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Materials Science) to support a multi-disciplinary approach to cancer systems biology research.
Grant description:
The Stanford CCSB aims to identify the mechanisms in which tumor cells instruct the immune system to tolerant them by focusing on the understudied role of lymph node invasion in tumor-mediated immunosuppression. The overall project title of the grant is: Modeling the role of lymph node metastases in tumor-mediated immune suppression. For a complete description of the 3 main projects of the grant visit the center website at: http://ccsb.stanford.edu.
Our ultimate objective is to advance our understanding of the systemic consequences of lymph node metastases and identify new therapeutic approaches to cancer immunotherapy. Our findings promise to provide critical insights into blocking metastatic progression and thereby preventing cancer-related deaths.
Specific areas of interest for new research include, but are not limited to:
- novel methods for studying interactions between tumor and immune cells
- computational/mathematical methods for integrating genomic and spatial data
- approaches to dissecting how tumors “teach” the immune system to tolerate them
- the influence of systemic immune system status on tumor metastatic potential
- imaging methods for tracking immune cells in vivo
Criteria:
The following criteria will be reviewed for final selection:
- What is the research track record of the PI?
- What is the scientific significance of the proposed project?
- Does the project fulfill the cancer systems biology requirements as defined by the grant?
- Will this project integrate well with existing projects within the CCSB Program?
- Are the project aims feasible within the timeline and funding?
- Once completed, how likely is the project to be externally funded?
APPLICATION GUIDELINES:
By July 31, 2018, 5 p.m., please send one PDF file (containing the following in the order listed below_ via email attachment to
Theresa McCann
tmccann@stanford.edu
File name: Last name_CCSB_Pilot_Project.pdf
Institutional representative: you do not have to submit your internal proposals to your RPM in RMG or your CGO in OSR for their approval. You you submit your applications directly to Theresa.
1) Title Page
Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB) Pilot Project
Project Title:
PI and Co-PI name, title, department, email
Faculty mentor* name, title, department, email
*provide if the PI is a senior postdoctoral fellow, clinical fellow, research associate or Instructor.
2) Scientific Proposal:
Current research (1 page)
Proposed research with specific aims (include project title) (2 pages)
Systems biology characteristics of the project (1/2 page)
How the proposed research complements the existing CCSB research (1/2 page)
Format: Single spaced, half-inch margins, Arial or Helvetica size 11 or larger font.
References and figures are included in the page total
3) Proposed budget and budget justification (1 page)
4) Biosketches for the PI(s) and Faculty mentor*
*if the PI is a senior postdoctoral fellow, clinical fellow, research associate, or Instructor
Questions? Contact: Theresa McCann, Program Manager, tmccann@stanford.edu
