National Cancer Institute, Research Contracts Branch, Cancer Etiology Contracts Section, Executive Plaza South, Rm. 620, 6120 Executive Blvd., MSC 7224, Bethesda, MD 20892-7224

A -- THE AGRICULTURAL HEALTH STUDY -- COORDINATING CENTER SOL N02-CP-81001-50 DUE 051297 POC karen L. McFarlane, Contracting Officer, 301-496-8611 WEB: National Cancer Institute, http://cbdnet.access.gpo.gov. E-MAIL: Karen L. McFarlane, McFarlak@RCB.NCI.NIH.GOV. The Occupational Epidemiology Branch (OEB), National Cancer Institute (NCI) is seeking contractors to perform the above named project. This contract will maintain a Coordinating Center to assist the NCI Project Office in the monitoring and coordination of the work of the two state-wide Field Stations. One of these Field Stations is in North Carolina and the other in Iowa. An existing cohort of approximately 82,000 study subjects was created in the first five years of this study and will need to be followed prospectively for 10 years or more to obtain detailed information on agricultural exposures, diet, cooking practices, and other factors of etiologic interest for cancer and other diseases. The cohort will be linked annually or more frequently to the state wide cancer registries in Iowa and North Carolina. The study is designed so that we can also investigate biomarkers of exposure and disease. The entire cohort will include farmer owner/operators (approximately 53,000), their spouses (approximately 23,000), or commercial applicators (approximately 6,000 -- all from Iowa). The entire cohort will be re-contacted during a three year period during this contract period to obtain buccal swab samples on each study subject (as a source of genomic DNA, assume 50 percent participation in this portion of the study) and to update questionnaire information on pesticide use, medical history, and diet by means of a questionnaire with an approximate 15 minute administration time. This questionnaire will be administered by the Field Stations by a computer assisted telephone interview (CATI). At least a 75 percent participation rate is sought. In-person contact, computer assisted telephone interviews (CATI), direct mailing of questionnaires, or a combination of these and other techniques may be considered for soliciting informed consent for buccal swab collection. Tumor tissue from approximately 400 selected cancers from each Field Station arising from the cohort will be collected at the Field Stations and shipped to the Coordinating Center for long term storage and subsequent analysis. The types of support to be provided by the Contractor in the conduct of studies include: study re- initiation and liaison; preparing and pretesting of questionnaires for CATI (computer assisted telephone interview), retrieving data electronically stored from a CATI (computer assisted telephone interview); updating and maintaining an appropriate data base to achieve study objectives; quality control of all aspects of this study; and to provide laboratory resources to prepare, store, and analyze epithelial cells for selected polymorphisms analysis (analysis of genomic DNA will be limited to a sample of approximately 500 cases and 500 non-diseased controls nested from the cohort). Tumor tissue from selected cancer cases (approximately 800 study subjects in total) arising from the cohort will also be collected by the Field Stations and stored by the Coordinating Center (possibly a long period) for subsequent analysis by the Coordinating Center or other laboratories. These tasks may vary. Communication between the Contractor and the NCI will often be on a daily basis with regularly scheduled meetings to review and adjust procedures for reassigning work. Personal computers shall be used wherever possible for data processing and manipulation. The NIH/DCRT computer facility (which has IBM computers) shall be accessed by remote terminals to be provided by the Contractor on their own premises. The Contractor shall provide monthly and annual progress reports, monthly budget reports, and a final technical progress report. Other deliverables shall include computerized data and raw data. The contract will be a cost-reimbursement, completion type for a 60-month period. The Government considers the effort to be approximately 33,100 labor hours. It is anticipated that the solicitation package will be available on/about April 11, 1997, with proposals due 30 days after the issue date of the RFP. Award is anticipated by December 30, 1997. No collect calls will be accepted. All requests for this RFP must be in writing or by fax. The fax number is (301) 480-0241. National Cancer Institute, Research Contracts Branch, OD, Cancer Epidemiology Contracts Section, Executive Plaza South, Room 620. (0070)

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