MRA Dermatology Career Development Award

_NOTE: All Dermatology Career Development Award applicants must complete and return the Applicant Eligibility Checklist by Letter of Inquiry Deadline above._

Request for Proposals

The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) is pleased to announce a Request for Proposals (RFP) for pre- clinical, translational, and early clinical research with the potential to produce unusually high impact, near-term advancements in melanoma prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment.

Objective: Emphasis on Translational and Clinical Science

MRA is soliciting proposals that address the gap in translational science (i.e., turning scientific discoveries into tools and/or treatments for high-risk individuals and patients with melanoma). Successful proposals have the potential of applying important basic and preclinical discoveries to the near-term development of clinical trials and studies impacting melanoma detection, prevention, diagnosis, and/or treatment.

Proposals for clinical studies testing well-defined and clearly articulated hypotheses are welcome and should be accompanied by a brief protocol synopsis and timeline with milestones. IRB approval is not required at the time of application but is required before initial payments are made.

MRA welcomes proposals in the following areas:

• Prevention:
  • Elucidation of environmental, epidemiological, and biological factors in melanomagenesis that lead to improved strategies for melanoma prevention.
• Detection and Diagnosis:
  • Development of innovative detection and diagnostic methodologies; identification and validation of diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers.
• Treatment:
  • Projects emphasizing the translation of scientific findings to new treatments for patients with melanoma.
  • Examples include, but are not limited to, studies of melanoma immunotherapy, therapeutic applications based on molecular mechanisms involved in melanoma formation and/or progression, treatments that target the tumor microenvironment or microbiome, combination therapies, and development of novel biomarkers of response to therapy.

Dermatology Career Development Awards

The Dermatology Career Development Award aims to attract early career faculty and clinical research fellows in departments or divisions of dermatology with original ideas into the field of melanoma, thereby recruiting and supporting the next generation of melanoma research leaders. This award will support research projects (including epidemiological data gaps), practice changing demonstration projects, and/or immersive studies aimed at improving melanoma prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and/or staging. In pursuit of this goal, MRA welcomes proposals with immediate real-world implications for public health, prevention, and/or clinical practice. MRA also encourages the application of artificial intelligence (AI) across any of these areas, especially to reduce variable biopsy-referral and/or diagnostic standards. Dermatology Career Development Award applications will be reviewed by the MRA Dermatology Council, as well as ad hoc experts in diverse areas of dermatology, translational, and clinical research.

• Term: 2 Years
• Amount: Up to $75,000 per year (up to $150,000 total)

Eligibility

_ You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website.