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 6. Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies (IMAT) Program

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INNOVATIVE MOLECULAR ANALYSIS TECHNOLOGIES (IMAT) PROGRAM

Technical innovation is critical to improving and transforming our ability to
understand, prevent, diagnose, and treat human disease. The IMAT program
catalyzes the development of novel technologies for cancer research by
supporting early-stage projects to develop highly innovative tools that will
allow us to grapple with the complexity of cancer biology and create new
possibilities for the fight against cancer. The program places an emphasis on
innovation and the potential impact of the technology on its intended field
within cancer research and clinical care. Learn more about the program by
reading the funding opportunities or browsing the funded projects from over the
years.

On This Page

 * Types of IMAT Awards

 * Notices of Special Interest

 * History of the IMAT Program

 * IMAT Management Team

TYPES OF IMAT AWARDS


FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Read the RFAs for novel technology development projects.

Early-stage development of technologies: R61
IMAT uses the R61 grant mechanism to support early-stage, proof-of-concept
studies. This mechanism has no requirement for preliminary data (though it is
allowed if available) and is suitable for projects for which the technical
feasibility of the proposed technology or method has not been established. These
projects were supported using the R21 mechanism until 2023, when the IMAT R61
was introduced. For more details about the R61 grant mechanism, you may watch a
recordingExit Disclaimer of a webinar describing the R61 and answering questions
about the scientific scope and application details of these funding
opportunities.

Advanced development of technologies: R33
IMAT uses the R33 grant mechanism to support advanced development and validation
of emerging technologies. This mechanism is suitable for technologies that have
preliminary data to demonstrate that major feasibility gaps have been overcome,
but still require further development and rigorous validation for broad adoption
by the research community.

Adoption of emerging technologies by research community: Competitive Revisions
Through the competitive revision mechanism, currently funded NCI grantees with
an R01, U01, or P50 award can apply for additional funds to expand upon the
original research question(s) or otherwise accelerate progress for the parent
study by incorporating a new technical approach developed through support from
the IMAT program. Investigators participating in research programs supported by
currently funded NCI P30 cancer center support grant may propose a pilot project
to leverage an emerging technology supported by the IMAT program. These projects
are meant to provide independent validation of the emerging technologies and
spur collaborations between tool developers and end users.

More details are available on the IMAT Funding Opportunities page. 

NOTICES OF SPECIAL INTEREST

NCI posts Notices of Special Interest (NOSIs) to stimulate grant-supported
research in high-priority and high-opportunity areas of science. The following
NOSIs direct applicants to one or more of the IMAT funding opportunities. For
funding consideration, applicants should submit their applications to the
appropriate IMAT funding opportunity and include the NOSI number in the Agency
Routing Identifier field (box 4B) of the SF424 R&R form.

Technology Development for Cancer Control and Population Science Research
(NOT-CA-23-037)
Expiration Date: December 31, 2024

RNA Modifications in Cancer Biology (NOT-CA-23-060)
Expiration Date: January 8, 2026

Technologies and Informatics Tools for Cancer Metabolomics (NOT-CA-22-083)
Expiration Date: December 31, 2024
For more information, watch the Pre-Application WebinarExit Disclaimer that was
held on July 25, 2022.

HISTORY OF THE IMAT PROGRAM

Technical innovation can improve and transform our ability to understand,
prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer. NCI established the IMAT program in 1998 to
focus support on the development of innovative technologies that meet the
specific needs of cancer researchers and clinicians and offer the potential to
accelerate progress in the fight against cancer. The program promotes
interdisciplinary research that brings diverse expertise to tackle persistent
challenges in cancer research that are most in need of technical innovation.


FUNDED PROJECTS

Read about IMAT projects focused on the development of novel technologies for
cancer research.

By taking risks on early-stage technology development projects that have the
potential to transform cancer research, IMAT has contributed to the development
of many of the most widely used technologies across the cancer research and
clinical communities. MuDPIT, Rolling Circle Amplification, ROMA, Illumina bead
platforms, and ICAT technologies were all supported by IMAT grants in the late
1990s. In the 2000s, IMAT supported development of activity-based protein
profiling, PROTACS and numerous liquid biopsy, imaging mass spectrometry,
single-cell analysis, and spatial -omic methods that are leading their fields
today.

The advancement of molecular and cellular analysis technologies demands
improvements to methods for maintaining or assessing the quality of biospecimen
samples used in cancer research. In 2004 the IMAT program released additional
funding opportunities calling for the development of innovative sample
preparation methods to address this need. These funding opportunities have
evolved to include new tools for acquiring, preserving, or handling
cancer-relevant biospecimens.

To encourage the adoption of emerging technologies by the research community,
the IMAT program began soliciting proposals for competitive revisions to ongoing
NCI research projects in 2018. This component of the program incentivizes
independent validation of IMAT-supported technologies by early adopters of new
technologies.

As new challenges emerge for cancer researchers and clinicians, the need for a
technology development pipeline encompassing inception and initiation through
dissemination and commercialization endures. The IMAT program serves a unique
role at NCI in the early stages of this pipeline. The program is regularly
evaluated by panels of external experts and subsequently evolves to meet the
needs of the research community. A summary of the findings from these
evaluations can be found in CSSI’s Program Evaluation Reports page.

Every year since 1999, all researchers with an active IMAT project have gathered
for the annual IMAT PI meeting to share progress on their developing
technologies and form collaborations. Information about these PI meetings going
back to the inaugural meeting in 1999 can be found on CSSI’s Past Events page.

IMAT MANAGEMENT TEAM

DIRECTOR OF IMAT PROGRAM

Dr. Kelly Crotty (kelly.crotty@nih.gov)

PROGRAM TEAM

Center for Strategic Scientific Initiatives
Dr. Tony Dickherber (dickherberaj@mail.nih.gov)

Division of Cancer Biology
Dr. Anowarul Amin (anowarul.amin@nih.gov)
Dr. Steven Becker (steven.becker@nih.gov)
Dr. Hannah Dueck (hannah.dueck@nih.gov)

Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis
Pathology Investigation and Resources
Dr. Rodrigo Chuaqui (chuaquir@mail.nih.gov)

Diagnostic Biomarkers and Technology
Dr. Tawnya McKee (mckeeta@mail.nih.gov)
Dr. Miguel Ossandon (ossandom@mail.nih.gov)
Dr. Brian Sorg (brian.sorg@nih.gov)
Dr. Asif Rizwan (asif.rizwan@nih.gov)
Dr. Jung Byun (jung.byun@nih.gov)

Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research
Dr. Ping Guan (ping.guan@nih.gov)
Dr. Lokesh Agrawal (lokesh.agrawal@nih.gov)

Cancer Imaging Program
Dr. Yisong Wang (yisong.wang@nih.gov)

Division of Cancer Prevention
Dr. Guillermo Marquez (marquezg@mail.nih.gov)
Dr. Nick Hodges (nick.hodges@nih.gov)

Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences
Dr. Stefanie Nelson (stefanie.nelson@nih.gov)

NCI Technology Research Advocacy Partnership (NTRAP) Team
NTRAP explores opportunities for incorporating the patient’s perspective into
management of the IMAT program and identifies opportunities offering the best
chance for improving outcomes for these investments. Visit the NTRAP webpage to
learn more about the team and their contributions to programs at NCI.


RELATED RESOURCES

 * IMAT Funding Opportunities
 * IMAT Funded Projects

 * Posted: June 17, 2024

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