Biomarkers and Cancer Epidemiology Research

  1. Behavioral Research Program
  2. Health Behaviors Research
  3. Biomarkers and Cancer Epidemiology Research

Overview

A biomarker may be a marker of exposure to a substance, its metabolism, or an integration of exposure and metabolism. Biomarkers may also reflect host characteristics. Digital biomarkers are physiological and behavioral measures derived from digital technology that explain or predict health outcomes. Because biomarkers can be related to risk of disease or monitoring for disease recurrence or progression, they are important in cancer control research. To be useful in cancer epidemiology, applications of biomarkers should reduce misclassification of exposures and disease, enhance detection of exposure-disease associations, predict disease occurrence or outcomes, predict response to treatments, or increase opportunities for intervention.

NCI is interested in the discovery of novel biomarkers as well as understanding how biomarkers can be used in risk factor assessment, early detection/screening of cancer, surveillance for cancer recurrence, predicting treatment response, disease stratification, identifying environmental exposures that may lead to cancer, and as markers of nutrition that either promote or protect against cancer.

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Funding Opportunities

NCI is currently participating in the following notices of funding opportunities that are relevant to biomarkers research:

  • Revision Applications for Validation of Biomarker Assays Developed Through NIH-Supported Research Grants - expires October 15, 2026
  • Assay Validation of High Quality Markers for Clinical Studies in Cancer - expires October 15, 2026

BRP joins with other NCI Divisions, Offices, and Centers and other Institutes and Centers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund grant applications submitted in response to notices of funding opportunities.

View other BRP, NCI, and NIH funding opportunities

BRP also encourages investigator-initiated grant applications on topics related to biomarkers and cancer epidemiology.

  • Biospecimen Resources for Population Scientists
    A list of links to biospecimen resources that may be of interest to cancer epidemiologists, including policies and best practices for biospecimen research and potential sources of biospecimens.
  • Cancer Screening Research Network (CSRN)
    This NCI-supported network conducts rigorous, multi-center cancer screening trials with large populations in a variety of health care settings with the ultimate goal of reducing cancer-related illnesses and deaths. The CSRN will launch a pilot study in 2025, called the Vanguard Study, to address the feasibility of using multi-cancer detection (MCD) tests in future randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
  • Early Detection Research Network (EDRN)
    NCI’s Early Detection Research Network (EDRN), brings together dozens of institutions to help accelerate the translation of biomarker information into clinical applications and to evaluate new ways of testing cancer in its earliest stages and for cancer risk.
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS) Health Topics: Biomarkers
    This compilation of resources includes studies, clinical trials, educational materials, NIEHS initiatives, and general information related to biomarkers.