Minority-Patient Derived Xenograft (PDX) Development and Trial Center (PDTC) Network (U54) | RFA CA 17 032

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA CA 17 032

The Minority-Patient Derived Xenograft (PDX) Development and Trial Center (PDTC) Network (U54) funding opportunity (RFA-CA-17-032) is a National Cancer Institute (NCI) cooperative agreement program designed to expand the national infrastructure for patient-derived xenograft (PDX) cancer models by prioritizing tumors obtained from racial and ethnic minority patients. The central aim is to strengthen cancer precision medicine research by ensuring that the experimental models used for preclinical testing better reflect the diversity of people affected by cancer, addressing a long-standing gap where minority populations are often underrepresented in research resources and datasets.

Under this FOA, NCI solicits applications to establish Minority PDX Development and Trial Centers (M-PDTCs) that will formally join the existing PDTC Research Network, commonly referred to as PDXNet. PDXNet is an NCI-coordinated effort built to support collaborative, large-scale development of PDX models and standardized preclinical testing of targeted therapeutic agents. Within that broader network, these minority-focused centers are expected to concentrate specifically on the generation, characterization, and use of PDX models derived from racial and ethnic minority populations, and to apply those models in preclinical therapeutic studies. In practical terms, the funded centers would be positioned to collect and process patient tumor material, establish PDX lines in appropriate animal hosts, validate and annotate these models, and then use them in structured testing pipelines to evaluate potential cancer treatments and inform precision oncology strategies.

The award mechanism is a U54 cooperative agreement, which signals a substantial, multi-component effort carried out with active programmatic involvement from NIH/NCI, rather than a more hands-off research grant. This typically implies close coordination, shared standards, and network participation requirements, consistent with the FOA's explicit intent to integrate awardees into PDXNet and to support coordinated, collaborative model development and testing at scale. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding and falls under education and health activity areas, with CFDA numbers 93.394 and 93.395, reflecting NCI-related assistance programs.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of organizations that can support biomedical research and infrastructure: state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; other tribal organizations; public housing/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education where applicable); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and additional applicants as allowed per the FOA's eligibility clarification text. This broad eligibility is consistent with a network-building goal where NCI may want to bring in institutions with access to diverse patient populations, strong biobanking and translational capabilities, and the capacity to generate and run PDX-based preclinical studies.

Key logistics from the announcement indicate it was created on October 13, 2017, with an original application closing date of January 18, 2018. The award ceiling is listed as $800,000, and the expected number of awards is two, suggesting NCI intended to fund a small number of centers with meaningful budgets to develop specialized capabilities and contribute substantial resources and data to the broader PDXNet program.

Overall, the opportunity can be understood as a targeted expansion of a national cancer modeling and testing network, where the distinguishing feature is the explicit focus on minority-derived tumor models. By building and using PDX resources sourced from racial and ethnic minority patients, the program is intended to improve the relevance of preclinical findings across populations, support more equitable precision medicine advances, and enhance the scientific foundation for understanding differences in tumor biology and treatment response that may be associated with ancestry, environment, access to care, and other factors tied to cancer disparities.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Minority-Patient Derived Xenograft (PDX) Development and Trial Center (PDTC) Network (U54)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.394, 93.395.
• This funding opportunity was created on Oct 13, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 18, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $800,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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