Mechanisms that Impact Cancer Risk after Bariatric Surgery (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Investigating how bariatric surgery affects cancer risk, supporting novel studies, exploring unknown mechanisms with the aim of finding proof of concept.
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Funder: National Institutes of Health
Due Dates: November 16, 2026 (Resubmission/revision) | February 16, 2027 (New) | March 16, 2027 (Resubmission/revision) | June 16, 2027 (New) | July 16, 2027 (Resubmission/revision) | October 16, 2027 (New) | November 16, 2027 (Resubmission/revision) | January 7, 2028 (Closing)
Funding Amounts: Up to $275,000 in direct costs over two years, with no more than $200,000 in any year
Summary: Supports exploratory studies of biological mechanisms linking bariatric surgery to cancer risk in animals, humans, or both.
Key Information: Clinical trials and unpublished preliminary data are not allowed; feasibility must not already be established.
Description
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) supports investigator-initiated proof-of-concept research through this R21 exploratory/developmental grant. The program seeks to engage bariatric surgery scientists in studying cancer outcomes rather than shorter-term outcomes such as weight loss and diabetes. Studies may involve animal models, human participants, or both, and should focus on sleeve gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the two procedures currently in common use.
Research must connect biological mechanisms to cancer endpoints using tissue or bodily fluid samples from subjects that underwent bariatric surgery, including some that developed cancer afterward. Relevant questions include procedure-specific effects, sex differences, colorectal cancer risk, genetic predisposition, and microbiome–host interactions. Human cohorts must include enough cancer cases for statistically powered endpoints linking cancer—not solely biomarkers—to molecular mechanisms.
