NCI Awards Breast Cancer Research Grants Derived From Postage Stamp Sales

National Cancer Institute
Friday, 6 October 2000

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) just completed awarding a total of $6.9 million in two-year grants to 32 applicants to support novel or innovative research in the area of breast cancer. This Insight grant program was designed to encourage investigators to explore areas of research that are underrepresented. Applicants to the published announcement were encouraged to submit ideas for projects that could be considered high risk, but with a potential for high reward.

Monies were raised through an act of Congress in 1997 that allowed contributions to breast cancer research funding through the purchase of a first-class stamp for 40 cents. Seventy percent of the net proceeds were set aside for breast cancer research by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), of which NCI is a part, with the remaining portion going to the Department of Defense.

The grants will support small studies limited to funding of $75,000 per year in direct costs for two years. The scientific scope and stimulus for the grants was derived from a report by the Breast Cancer Progress Review Group, a blue ribbon panel of basic and clinical researchers and patient advocate representatives. The August 1998 report (available online at http://osp.nci.nih.gov/Prg_assess/PRG/BPRG/default.htm) contains a national plan for the next five to 10 years of research in breast cancer in addition to identifying specific high priority areas where research should be focused.

Applicants for the two year grants were encouraged to focus their research ideas on those that encompassed early stages of investigations in eight different areas of breast cancer: biology; etiology; genetics; prevention; detection, diagnosis and prognosis; treatment; control; and outcomes. One of the central aims of these grants is to challenge existing paradigms and to develop new methodologies and technologies in breast cancer research that will be seeds for future discovery. It is expected that many of the researchers whose projects are supported by these grants will then compete for traditional grants and generate concepts or products that will have a direct application to public health.

An unprecedented 403 applications for the new grants, officially called Insight Awards to Stamp Out Breast Cancer, were received by October 1999. Special NCI study sections reviewed and scored the applications for scientific merit and innovation. Funding decisions were based on rankings of the reviewed projects, also taking into consideration the balance of scientific programs at NCI so that no one area was underrepresented.

"There are over a dozen critical areas of breast cancer research that will benefit from this innovative funding and help us answer some scientific questions, as well as set up research opportunities for the next five to 10 years, "said Richard D. Klausner, M.D., NCI director. He also noted that the breast cancer stamp has helped to sharpen the focus on breast cancer research, due in large part to the efforts of breast cancer survivors, their families, and friends.

Approximately $1 million more in stamp sales proceeds is expected to be received by the NIH before the end of 2000. This installment of funds will be used to award additional grant applications from those previously reviewed. Congress has recently renewed the two-year act that made this program possible and will permit an additional two-year sales period of the stamps.

Since the breast cancer research stamp was made available for sale, a prostate cancer stamp has also been available for purchase. While the prostate stamp has been effective in raising awareness of the disease, it was not designed to raise research funds.

For more information, or to contact National Cancer Institute, see their website at: www.cancer.gov