the National Institutes of Health has set aside $6 million in funding for the 2007 fiscal year to support technology development related to The Cancer Genome Atlas pilot project that kicked off in late 2005.

The goal of the genomic technology is to "inspire and promote the development of highly innovative tools and new ways to interrogate genomic alterations in cancer, NIH said.

The emphasis is on new high-resolution, high-throughput technologies to detect alterations in the cancer genome, epigenome, or transcriptome, "including, but not limited to: changes in DNA segment copy numbers, translocations, loss of heterozygosity, epigenomic modifications, and aberrant gene expression profiles."

 In a notice issued Friday, titled, "Selection of Funding Opportunities for the Technology Component of the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Project," NIH outlined three separate funding opportunities under the initiative:

 Development of Advanced Genomic Characterization Technologies, a program funded under the R21 funding mechanism, for "pilot-exploratory projects using conventional research project grants." NIH has set aside $3 million in 2007 for this program.
Development of Advanced Genomic Characterization Technologies, a program funded under the R43/R44 SBIR mechanism, for "exploratory/developmental Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding." NIH has set aside $2 million in 2007 for this program.
Development of Advanced Genomic Characterization Technologies, funded under the R41/R42 STTR mechanism, for exploratory/developmental Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) funding." NIH has set aside $1 million in 2007 for this program.