Closed · PAR-25-108 · CFDA 93.121;93.395;93.396 · Discretionary

Microbial-based Cancer Imaging and Therapy - Bugs as Drugs (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Federal grant opportunity posted by National Institutes of Health, cataloged on Grants.gov.

Varies
Award range
Closed
Status
May 7, 2025
Close date
-
Expected awards

The verdict

Microbial-based Cancer Imaging and Therapy - Bugs as Drugs (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is a closed discretionary listing from National Institutes of Health that offered Varies by applicant. Future funding cycles may be published under the same CFDA number. PlainGrants indexes 12,419 other opportunities from National Institutes of Health.

Varies
award range
Closed
application status
93.121;93.395;93.396
CFDA program
12,419
other opportunities from National Institutes of Health

Archived opportunity record

Microbial-based Cancer Imaging and Therapy is closed (last close May 7, 2025). Check the agency catalog for replacement NOFOs. National Institutes of Health still indexes 12,419 other opportunities here.

According to Grants.gov (extract vintage 2026-08-10), this record reflects the officially published listing. See methodology.

Deadline tracker

Application window closed

Closed May 7, 2025

Posted Nov 12 Closes May 7

Instrument

Grant

Description

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.

Wide-open applicant board · 15 Grants.gov doors

Microbial-based Cancer Imaging and Therapy prints 15 distinct Grants.gov eligibility doors (State governments; County governments; City or township governments; Special district governments; +11 more). Filter fit before reading award size as demand — most applicant classes appear on the row. The extract does not mark applicant cost-sharing as required. Instrument: Grant. Funding-activity codes span Education · Health (ED;HL). This eligibility-code string dominates the National Institutes of Health book (9,741 peers, 78% of 12,420).

Code 00
State governments
Code 01
County governments
Code 02
City or township governments
Code 04
Special district governments
Code 05
Independent school districts
Code 06
Public / state-controlled institutions of higher education
Code 07
Federally recognized tribal governments
Code 08
Public / Indian housing authorities
Code 11
Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
Code 12
Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (other than IHEs)
Code 13
Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (other than IHEs)
Code 20
Private institutions of higher education
Code 22
For-profit organizations other than small businesses
Code 23
Small businesses
Code 25
Others (see official listing text)

Codes are Grants.gov eligibility category values from the extract vintage 2026-08-10. Confirm the full eligibility statement on the official listing or the Grants.gov eligibility reference.

Official Listing on Grants.gov

View full details, application forms, and submission instructions.

View on Grants.gov

Agency Contact

NIH Grants Information grantsinfo@nih.gov

What to do next

Microbial-based Cancer Imaging and Therapy is closed; use the parent program and agency catalog for the next funding cycle.

  • Browse open federal opportunities in the same category when this listing is closed. Open opportunities
  • Look up CFDA 93.121;93.395;93.396 across all indexed listings before you commit to this opportunity alone. Eligibility finder
  • National Institutes of Health lists 12,419 other indexed opportunities on PlainGrants. Agency catalog

Opportunity deadlines and eligibility change on Grants.gov; PlainGrants mirrors the extract and is not the submission system.

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from Grants.gov and SAM.gov and is for informational purposes only. Opportunity details, deadlines, and eligibility requirements change frequently. Always verify current information directly on Grants.gov before applying. PlainGrants is not affiliated with any federal agency.

Data sourced from the SAM.gov Assistance Listings and Grants.gov. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainGrants