FAQs on the NCI CIRP Associate Membership
1. What is the NCI CIRP Program?
The NCI-sponsored Co-Clinical Imaging Research Resource Program (CIRP) is a U24-network program launched by NCI in 2015 to establish web-accessible, co-clinical, quantitative imaging research resources funded under several program announcements.
2. What is the mission of the CIRP?
The mission of CIRP is to advance the practice of precision medicine by establishing consensus-based best practices for state-of-the-art quantitative imaging methodologies in the preclinical and clinical settings to enable disease detection, risk stratification, and assessment/prediction of response to therapy.
3. What are the CIRP projects?
Each CIRP project is comprised of four essential components, including animal models (GEMMs or PDXs), co-clinical therapeutic trials, quantitative preclinical and clinical imaging, and informatics for supporting web resources. Imaging modalities include MRI, MRSI, PET, CT, MRI/PET, and PET/CT. The CIRP aims to establish and provide web-accessible research resources that include methods, workflow documentation, and co-clinical imaging data to the cancer research community.
4. What is the CIRP network?
The CIRP program supports 10 projects/teams, see Teams and Projects. These teams form a network governed by a steering committee and three working groups (WGs): Animal Models and Co-Clinical Trials (AMCT), Imaging Acquisition and Data Processing (IADP), and InforMatics and OutReach (IMOR). The WGs focus on developing consensus on important issues in co-clinical imaging and establishing general guidance for the co-clinical quantitative imaging
5. Why does the CIRP solicit Associate Members?
The CIRP network would like to engage researchers and organizations with expertise and/or interest in animal models, co-clinical trials, quantitative imaging, and informatics to obtain consensus on important co-clinical imaging issues, expand the scientific scope of the CIRP, and accelerate the dissemination of the CIRP resources.
6. What are the roles and responsibilities of Associate Members?
The associate members are expected to participate in quarterly teleconferences of selected WGs. In addition, they are encouraged to participate in CIRP WG-organized activities, collaborate with CIRP teams, attend and contribute to CIRP annual meetings, and contribute to CIRP web resources.
7. Will NCI provide any funds to the Associate Members?
The Associate Members will not receive funding from the NIH or NCI for their participation in the CIRP network.
8. How to apply for the CIRP Associate Membership?
Interested member groups and individuals should prepare a membership petition package that includes a cover letter, a brief description of the relevant NCI-funded and/or NIH-funded grants, and biosketches of the participants. Please send your package to the NCI CIRP program director, Huiming Zhang, Ph.D. (zhanghui@mail.nih.gov).
9. How will the Associate Membership petitions be processed?
Associate Membership petitions will be reviewed by the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee's decision for membership acceptance will be made within 60 days of petition receipt.
