November 15, 2018

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will support extramural research to investigate and mitigate challenges facing clinical assay development due to biopsy biospecimen preanalytical variability. The program will tie in with current efforts to optimize clinical biomarker assays utilized in NCI-sponsored clinical trials. Results from this research program will improve the understanding of how biopsy collection, processing, and storage procedures may affect all aspects of analytical performance for current and emerging clinical biomarkers, as well as expedite clinical biomarker assay development through the evidence-based standardization of biopsy handling practices. Critical information gained through these research awards may increase the reliability of clinical biomarker assays, reduce time requirements for assay development, and decrease assay failure during late-stage testing.