Mechanisms that Impact Cancer Risk with Use of Incretin Mimetics (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
This grant aims to investigate how incretin mimetics affect cancer risk, focusing on mechanisms rather than short-term outcomes like weight loss, to attract scientific talent for preclinical and patient studies.
Funder: National Institutes of Health
Due Dates: November 16, 2026 (Resubmissions) | January 7, 2027 (Closing date)
Funding Amounts: Up to $275,000 in direct costs over two years, with no more than $200,000 in any year
Summary: Supports exploratory mechanistic research on how incretin mimetics influence cancer risk using animal or human samples.
Key Information: Clinical trials, entirely in vitro projects, and primarily epidemiologic studies are not eligible.
Description
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) offers this R21 opportunity for investigator-initiated pilot and exploratory studies examining how incretin mimetics affect cancer risk, rather than shorter-term outcomes such as weight loss or diabetes. It also seeks to attract scientists studying these agents in other diseases into cancer biology. The announcement focuses on GLP-1 and dual GLP-1/GIP-1 receptor agonists, whose reported effects on cancer risk warrant mechanistic investigation.
Relevant work includes immune, metabolic, hormonal, cytokine, and other signaling changes; cancer-specific or population-specific effects; and dose-dependent or off-target mechanisms. Studies must examine biological endpoints using samples from animals or humans exposed to incretin mimetics. Animal studies require a cancer endpoint, while human studies may use biomarkers clearly associated with cancer development.
