Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) grants are a cornerstone of the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) efforts to promote collaborative, interdisciplinary translational cancer research. SPORE grants involve both basic and clinical/applied scientists and support projects that will result in new and diverse approaches to the prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment of human cancers.
Each SPORE is focused on a specific organ site, such as ovarian, breast or lung cancer, or on a group of highly related cancers, such as gastrointestinal cancers and sarcomas. SPOREs are designed to enable the rapid and efficient movement of basic scientific findings into clinical settings, as well as to determine the biological basis for observations made in individuals with cancer or in populations at risk for cancer. SPOREs are required to reach a human endpoint within the five-year funding period. The objective for all SPOREs is to reduce cancer incidence and mortality, and to improve survival and quality of life for cancer patients.