PAR-25-108: Microbial-based Cancer Imaging and Therapy - Bugs as Drugs (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Closed
This grant is closed. Who won this program's grants before is below, and similar open grants are at the end of the page. It is in our archive of National Institutes of Health notices from 2024.
National Institutes of Health offered grants to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. Applications closed on May 7, 2025.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed November 12, 2024. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Award amountsNot given on Grants.gov
- Cost sharingNot required
- Funding typeGrant
About this NIH notice
- Activity codeR21
- Clinical trialsNot allowed
- Funded byNCI, NIDCR
- Median yearly award$413,864
- Typical project length2 years
- R21, Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant. Early, exploratory ideas that may not have preliminary data yet, usually for up to two years. Other open R21 notices.
Projects funded under PAR-25-108 were run by National Cancer Institute (NCI, 3 projects) and National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR, 1 project). Contact the program officer at the institute that fits your project before you apply; the notice lists them.
Application due dates, page limits and budget limits are set in the notice. Read PAR-25-108 in the NIH Guide.
Other notices with this title
| Notice | Posted | Deadline | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| PAR-22-086 | February 18, 2022 | Closed November 8, 2024 | Closed |
Key dates
| Posted | November 12, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Deadline | May 7, 2025 |
| Archived by Grants.gov | June 12, 2025 |
Who can apply
This opportunity was open to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses.
All 15 applicant types the notice lists
- State governments
- County governments
- City or township governments
- Special district governments
- Independent school districts
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
- For profit organizations other than small businesses
- Small businesses
- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Other Eligible Applicants include the following: Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs); Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government; Faith-based or Community-based Organizations; Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized); Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations); Regional Organizations; Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) ; U.S. Territory or Possession.
Is this a realistic fit?
- Most of the money in the 3 programs behind this notice (64% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
- No cost sharing or match is required.
What the grant funds
Through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) solicits grant applications proposing to utilize bacteria, archaebacteria, bacteriophages, or other non-oncolytic viruses and their natural products to study the underlying mechanisms of the complex interactions between microorganisms, tumors, and the immune system, and to explore their clinical potential for cancer imaging, therapeutics or diagnostics. Projects can focus on using microorganisms as anti-tumor agents, as activators of anti-tumor immunity, or as delivery vehicles for treatment, diagnosis, or imaging, complementing or synergizing with existing tools and approaches. This NOFO will support basic mechanistic and preclinical studies in cell culture and animal models. Applicants are encouraged to address both the microbial and tumor aspects of microbial tumor interactions relevant to microbial-based cancer therapy (including therapies for oral cancer), tumor imaging, tumor detection, or diagnosis. The R21 FOA is intended to encourage exploratory projects that are at an early conceptual stage feasibility study (inception through preliminary development) to demonstrate the core functional capabilities of the proposed approach. The proposed projects may involve considerable risk and should be aimed at producing breakthroughs in microbial-based cancer therapy, imaging, or diagnosis. This funding opportunity is part of broader NCI-sponsored research on microbial-based cancer therapy.
Funded under PAR-25-108 so far
NIH funded 4 projects under PAR-25-108 in fiscal 2026, at 4 institutions. The median yearly award was $413,864.
| Project | Institution | Fiscal year | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lachnospiraceae characterization to affect diet-mediated improvement of cancer treatment outcomes | Ohio State University | 2026 | $386,888 |
| Engineering Salmonella-based Platforms for Immunotherapy Against Immunologically Silent Tumors | Yale University | 2026 | $432,125 |
| Therapeutic Restoration of Cholangiocyte Primary Cilia via Microbiota-Derived Butyrate: A Novel Approach for Bile Duct Cancer | University of Minnesota | 2026 | $408,829 |
| Designing probiotic strains to sense and deliver novel treatments for oral cancer | Purdue University | 2026 | $418,899 |
Who has won Cancer Treatment Research grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Cancer Treatment Research (93.395) awarded $5.6 billion across 3,622 grant awards, an average of $1.5 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Univeristy of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center | Texas | 144 | $188 million |
| Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Inc. | Massachusetts | 68 | $185 million |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | New York | 35 | $179 million |
| Public Health Institute | California | 4 | $168 million |
| Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center | Washington | 57 | $156 million |
Who has won Cancer Biology Research grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Cancer Biology Research (93.396) awarded $4.3 billion across 3,142 grant awards, an average of $1.4 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York | New York | 70 | $151 million |
| The Univeristy of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center | Texas | 109 | $144 million |
| Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research | New York | 66 | $136 million |
| Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Inc. | Massachusetts | 47 | $107 million |
| The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco | California | 64 | $95.5 million |
Who has won Oral Diseases and Disorders Research grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Oral Diseases and Disorders Research (93.121) awarded $1.9 billion across 2,263 grant awards, an average of $818,037 per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regents of the University of Michigan | Michigan | 76 | $89.2 million |
| The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco | California | 84 | $80.5 million |
| University of Southern California | California | 41 | $78.6 million |
| University of Pittsburgh - of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education | Pennsylvania | 58 | $55.9 million |
| The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | 66 | $51.5 million |
Applying now
This notice no longer takes applications. Agencies often post the same opportunity again under a new number, so check the program's notices on Grants.gov and the similar open grants below.
The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.
Questions people ask
Is PAR-25-108 still open?
No. It closed on May 7, 2025.
Who can apply for Microbial-based Cancer Imaging and Therapy - Bugs as Drugs (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)?
National Institutes of Health accepted applications from nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.
What is the deadline for Microbial-based Cancer Imaging and Therapy - Bugs as Drugs (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)?
Closed May 7, 2025. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.
Who has been funded under PAR-25-108?
NIH RePORTER lists 4 projects funded under PAR-25-108 in fiscal 2026, at 4 institutions. The most were at Ohio State University, Yale University, University of Minnesota.
Who has won Oral Diseases and Disorders Research grants before?
The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Regents of the University of Michigan, The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco, University of Southern California. The program made 2,263 awards worth $1.9 billion in that time.
Similar open grants
- Secondary Analysis and Integration of Existing Data to Elucidate Cancer Risk and Related Outcomes (R21 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
- Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
- Developing novel theory and methods for understanding the genetic architecture of complex human traits (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- Mechanisms that Impact Cancer Risk with Use of Incretin Mimetics (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- New Approaches for Measuring Brain Changes Across Longer Timespans (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
- Early-Stage Dissemination and Implementation Research in Communication Disorders (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)