Technology area

Biomarker

1,052 funded awards, $740.9M total, FY2023-FY2025.

Data current as of 2026-05-11

Pattern read

Biomarker is one of the largest tags in the dataset at 1,052 records and $741M. NCI leads with 214 records: companion-diagnostic and prognostic markers for solid tumors are the dominant subtype. NIA follows at 170, reflecting heavy investment in early-detection markers for Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases. NIAID at 102 is third, mostly infection signatures. Median award is $700K, the highest among the major tags, because biomarker development is capital-intensive once you cross from discovery to clinical validation. Concentration is moderate at 5.2%; a handful of CRO-style firms appear repeatedly, but the long tail is large. The R44 share (608) outweighs R43 (256) by more than 2:1. STTR (R41) participation at 115 is meaningful.

Fit indicators

  • NCI and NIA together hold ~36% of records. Oncology and neurodegeneration are the canonical fits.
  • Highest median award among the major tags ($700K), reflecting clinical-validation cost.

Watchouts

  • 'Biomarker' alone is too broad. Reviewers want a specific clinical decision the marker informs.
  • The 2:1 R44:R43 ratio is partly an artifact of multi-year Phase II awards being counted per fiscal year. Don't infer a higher Phase II conversion rate from this number.

Where the money sat, by Institute / Center

IC funding decisions are set by portfolio priorities, NOFO scope, and program-officer judgment. These are funded records, not predictions of future funding.

ICNameRecordsMedian award
CA (NCI) National Cancer Institute 214 $824,955
AG (NIA) National Institute on Aging 170 $742,924
AI (NIAID) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases 102 $886,177
HL (NHLBI) National Heart Lung and Blood Institute 90 $548,761
GM (NIGMS) National Institute of General Medical Sciences 90 $700,000
DK (NIDDK) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases 83 $613,787
NS (NINDS) National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke 74 $751,784
HG (NHGRI) National Human Genome Research Institute 33 $406,500
HD (NICHD) Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development 30 $707,821
ES (NIEHS) National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 27 $682,504
DA (NIDA) National Institute on Drug Abuse 25 $398,137
MH (NIMH) National Institute of Mental Health 21 $491,579
EY (NEI) National Eye Institute 20 $688,984
TR (NCATS) National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences 20 $952,054
AR (NIAMS) National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases 14 $289,497
DE (NIDCR) National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research 9 $409,403
AA (NIAAA) National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 9 $385,000
EB (NIBIB) National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering 6 $330,787
OD NIH Office of the Director 5 $999,973
MD (NIMHD) National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities 4 $689,017
DC (NIDCD) National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders 3 $524,299
AT (NCCIH) National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health 2 $315,518
NR (NINR) National Institute of Nursing Research 1 $756,164

FOA / NOFO routes

Opportunity number prefixes: PA = Parent Announcement (broad, omnibus, multiple ICs), PAR = Parent with Special Review, PAS = Parent with set-aside funds, RFA = Request for Applications (targeted, single-IC, fixed budget). Status unknown means the pipeline has not verified whether the FOA is currently posting awards; the SBIR omnibus has been in reauthorization gap during this window. See the glossary for full definitions.

OpportunityStatusRecords
PA-22-176 unknown 215
PA-23-230 unknown 155
PA-21-259 unknown 119
PA-24-245 unknown 70
PAS-22-196 unknown 65
PA-22-178 unknown 56
PAS-19-316 unknown 44
PA-23-232 unknown 37
PA-20-260 unknown 34
PA-22-177 unknown 20
PA-24-247 unknown 18
PA-21-262 unknown 16
PA-20-272 unknown 15
PA-24-246 unknown 13
PAS-22-197 unknown 12
PA-21-260 unknown 11
PA-19-272 unknown 10
PAR-22-073 unknown 9
PA-23-231 unknown 7
RFA-HL-23-008 unknown 6
PA-20-265 unknown 6
RFA-DA-23-021 unknown 5
PA-21-345 unknown 5
PAS-19-317 unknown 5
PA-20-047 unknown 4
PA-25-212 unknown 4
RFA-CA-23-035 unknown 4
PAR-21-266 unknown 4
RFA-DA-19-019 unknown 4
RFA-NS-20-009 unknown 4
RFA-CA-22-025 unknown 3
RFA-CA-20-033 unknown 3
RFA-DA-22-023 unknown 3
RFA-ES-23-008 unknown 3
RFA-CA-21-001 unknown 3
PA-22-179 unknown 3
PA-18-574 unknown 3
PA-20-262 unknown 3
PAR-21-247 unknown 3
PAR-21-225 unknown 2
RFA-DA-24-038 unknown 2
RFA-MD-23-003 unknown 2
PAR-21-114 unknown 2
RFA-CA-23-034 unknown 2
PAR-24-131 expired 2
PA-24-248 unknown 2
RFA-MD-22-003 unknown 2
RFA-AG-22-014 unknown 2
PAR-18-326 unknown 2
PA-19-271 unknown 2
PA-19-273 unknown 2
PA-21-261 unknown 2
RFA-DA-25-051 unknown 1
RFA-NS-23-006 unknown 1
PA-23-233 unknown 1
RFA-CA-24-022 unknown 1
RFA-DA-25-050 unknown 1
RFA-NS-23-007 unknown 1
RFA-DA-24-018 unknown 1
RFA-HD-20-019 unknown 1
RFA-HG-21-008 unknown 1
PA-18-566 unknown 1
RFA-DK-19-027 unknown 1
RFA-CA-21-036 unknown 1
RFA-HL-19-017 unknown 1
PA-20-261 unknown 1
RFA-CA-16-008 unknown 1
PAR-20-098 unknown 1
RFA-NS-20-011 unknown 1
RFA-DK-21-021 unknown 1
RFA-ES-22-006 unknown 1
RFA-DA-23-020 unknown 1
RFA-DA-23-017 unknown 1
PA-21-071 unknown 1

Comparable funded projects

ApplIDFYICTitleOrganizationAmount
10598447 2025 CA Early clinical development of a novel IL-7R antibody for treating children with relapsed T-cell leukemia FANNIN PARTNERS, LLC $999,997
10710321 2025 NS Wearable Sensor and Digital Technologies for Quantitative Assessment and Remote Monitoring of Symptoms in Myasthenia Gravis BIOSENSICS, LLC $973,917
10825409 2025 OD Tools and Methods for Producing High Quality Functional Protein Microarrays for Biomarker Discovery SPOC PROTEOMICS INC. $1,370,834
10907583 2025 CA Development of a Universal Assay for Minimal Residual Disease in Acute Myeloid Leukemia using Duplex Sequencing TWINSTRAND BIOSCIENCES, INC. $1,985,831
10918037 2025 CA Phase 1b/2a Trial of QBS-72S for the Treatment of Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma Multiforme in Patients with Unmethylated MGMT Promoters QUADRIGA BIOSCIENCES, INC. $1,307,447
10921587 2025 DE AI-linked cytomics-on-a-chip to enable near-real time identification and management of oral lichenoid lesions in primary care ORALIVA, INC. $1,178,476
10930943 2025 CA Point of Care HPV 16/18/45 DNA Test for Cervical Cancer CROSSLIFE TECHNOLOGIES, INC. $994,439
10997391 2025 AG A physiologically relevant pre-clinical drug screening platform for Alzheimer's Disease and Traumatic Brain Injury with integrated stretchable microelectrodes BMSEED, LLC $779,587

Review panels that have appeared on these records

Panel names use NIH's Center for Scientific Review (CSR) format: a 2-4 letter study-section code plus a meeting-cycle number in parentheses (e.g. ISB (12) = Instrumentation and Systems Development, cycle 12). SBIR/STTR review groups are temporary, meeting-specific bodies. The names below describe panels that have appeared on the cited funded-project records, not where future applications get assigned. NIH assigns panels at the time of submission based on the application content.

Limitations

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