BD 2024 AML MRD FlowCytometry Research Grant
Request For Proposals (RFP)
Application Period: Oct 1 - Nov 30, 2024
Accurate measurement of residual disease in acute leukemia depends on who measures it, and how. In acute myeloid leukemia (AML), this measurement is further complicated by its ontogenetic heterogeneity and phenotypic diversity. Despite these challenges, multiple retrospective studies have demonstrated the value of MRD (measurable residual disease) in a setting of AML for posttreatment prognostication, risk-stratification and efficacy assessment generating an increasing interest in deploying the flow cytometric AML MRD assay to routine clinical practice. Currently, multicolor flow cytometry (MFC) based MRD assays vary among different centers and depend on extensive scientific expertise and knowledge of inter-patient differences for accurate interpretation of data. The 2021 update on AML MRD from ELN MRD Working Party recommends implementation of a minimum required set of tubes/ markers/fluorochromes combination as a prerequisite for harmonized MRD detection, analysis and reporting.
To advance the standardization of flow cytometric assessment of AML-MRD in Asia we invite research proposals that aim to undertake analytical validation of AML-MRD flow cytometry assay on BD FACSLyric™ flow cytometer in accordance with published guidelines and best practices on validation of cell-based flow cytometry assays in a research setting.
The RFP, if selected for research grant award, will include (up to 3 awarded recipients):
- BD Reagents (value up to a maximum of $15,000 USD at list price per award)
- Reasonable Technical Application Support if training is needed on the BD FACSLyric™ flow cytometer
- Access to internal BD technical experts (support level to be defined in the proposal)
There is no provision for overhead expenses or monetary compensation for the investigators in this grant. Flow cytometer instrument and its service/maintenance, software, and custom reagents are out of scope of this research grant. Grant recipient will be responsible for all costs not outlined in the program inclusions and should ensure that instrument is under warranty/maintenance contract over the study period.
- Grant recipients must be an organization or institution in a country in BD CASAJ Region (Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia). Institutions must have clear governance and ability to receive, administer, and track funds.
- The project leader (Principal Investigator) should be a full-time employee of the hospital or research institute (private or government). He/she must be eligible to receive funds through their institution.
- Project leader (Principal Investigator) must maintain all regulatory, ethical, and applicable legal responsibility for the research project, ensure requisite IRB/EC approvals, and solely control patient safety, protocol content, data collection, analysis, and reporting.
- Project leader should have a proven track record of research with at least five peer-reviewed publications in the field of hematology / hemat-oncology flow cytometry. Project leader may co-opt investigators based on requirements of study proposal.
- Only one research proposal can be submitted by an investigator, whether it is as principal investigator or as a co-opted investigator.
- Employees and contractors of BD and their affiliates can neither apply for the grant nor can they be co-opted as investigators.
- After notification of final approval, a contract will be required between BD and project leader/ authorized institute representative. If required contract is not executed within 60 days, BD at its discretion may cancel the funding of the proposal. We are happy to provide a copy of the contract template upon request.
- Project duration should be limited to 12 months starting from the contract signature. Recipients must provide a mid-study progress report at about 6 months and a final study report within three months from the end of the study period.
- BD will request successful applicants to provide feedback or testimonials on their experience with the program and potential outcomes of the project that may be promoted by the BD administrator at the study's end.
Proposal evaluation
- Proposal selection will be done based on the merit of the proposal and credentials of the researchers as per the BD’s global process for reviewing and approving investigator-sponsored studies. All selection is at the sole discretion of BD and any decision made will be final and conclusive.
- Research Proposal should clearly articulate study objectives, methodology and expected deliverables of the project. Study panels should meet the requirement of 2021 ELN guidelines on AML-MRD flow cytometry and analytical validation methodology should be in alignment with CLSI H62 guidelines.
BD CASAJ 2024 AML MRD Flow Cytometry RFP (estimated timeline) | |
Oct – Nov 2024 | Research proposal submission |
Dec 2024 – Jan 2025 | Proposal evaluation and notification on outcome of research proposals |
Feb-Mar 2025 | Contract generation and reagent disbursement |
April 2025 | Commencement of the research project |
a) Submission Process
Proposal submission deadline is November 30th, 2024. Submissions should be made through the "Apply for ISS full funding link" on the Cybergrants - Investigator Sponsored Studies Website at:
Please note that you will need to create an account before applying.
The contents and format of the proposal is described below, and it should be submitted as a .docx or .pdf file under the Full Study Protocol section.
Remaining fields of the Cybergrants submission system shall be filled out according to the instructions on the Cybergrants website.
The issinquiriesbdbcasaj@bd.com email address may be used for any questions regarding this funding initiative. Please mention ‘REF: BD CASAJ 2024 AML MRD Flow cytometry Research Grant: Request for Proposal” in the subject line of the email.
b) Format and Contents of the Proposal
Please prepare proposals in accordance with the following:
- The proposal should be submitted as a MS Word (.docx) or a PDF document.
- The proposal should be in English and budget amount requested should be in USD only.
- The proposal should be a maximum of 5 pages long using US Letter size (8.5” x 11”), Normal margins (1” on each side), either Arial, Calibri, Verdana, Times or Times New Roman Font, 10pt or larger font size and line spacing that is single or larger.
- References and Biosketch of the investigators do not count towards 5 pages limit.
- The following table should be included and filled out at the top of the proposal:
BDB 2024 Request for Proposals | |
Project Title |
|
Requested Budget | <Maximum $15,000 USD (at list price of reagents)> |
Project Duration | <Maximum of 12 months starting from the date of contract> |
Project Leader Name and Affiliation Contact information including email | <A single accountable project leader and lead organization must be indicated.Correspondence will be conducted with the project leader only.> |
Project Co-Investigators Contact information including email | <If applicable; add additional rows as/if needed.> |
The contents of the proposal should include the following sections:
- Summary - Briefly describe the proposal and how it will address one or more aspects of the target areas of focus. Please include expected impact of this work. Limit this section to 500 words.
- Related work - Describe current related work and efforts of this team that the proposed study will build on.
- Project objectives – Describe what you hope to accomplish as part of the proposed work.
- Methods and implementation plan – Describe the study design and plan for analytical validation of the proposed AML MRD flow cytometric assay.
- Project milestones and deliverables – Describe milestones (checkpoints) throughout the project and expected measurable and tangible outcome of the project (deliverables). Briefly describe content of the final study report/outcome of research to be shared with BD.
- Project outcome – Describe your plan to make the results and deliverables of the project available to the scientific community (examples include manuscript, poster presentation, oral presentation in scientific events or industry events) and its expected impact in advancing clinical research and management of AML.
- References – Include references related to the proposed project; references do not count towards the page limit for the proposal.
- Curriculum vitae (CV) or Biosketch of key personnel – Include a CV or Biosketch for key personnel of the project. CVs and Biosketches do not count toward the page limit for proposal.
- Support – Please describe briefly the support required from BD field application support team or BD medical/scientific affairs technical experts. This section is optional.
- Budget details
- Total Budget amount requested for BD products (in USD):
- List details of BD products for which funding is requested (preferably in a tabular format): Product description, Part number, Eaches, price based on quotation from local BD sales team.
- Indicate whether you have any co-funding available (state amount and source)
To submit the RFP through the Cybergrant Application:
Please go to the website below.