A new treatment for bladder cancer using a modified vaccine
Official title: STING agonist-expressing BCG for bladder cancer
Funded at Oncosting LLC · NIH-10668536 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is testing a new treatment for bladder cancer that uses a special version of a vaccine to help your immune system fight the cancer better, especially if standard treatments haven't worked for you.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oncosting LLC NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2021 |
| Project end | July 31, 2025 |
| Funding year | 2023 |
| Award (this year) | $1,092,982 |
| NIH project number | 5R44CA261506-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-10668536 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are patients diagnosed with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer who have not responded to standard BCG treatment.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer or those who have not been diagnosed with bladder cancer may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on developing a novel immunotherapy for bladder cancer, specifically targeting non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). The approach involves using a modified version of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine that has been engineered to express a potent STING agonist, which enhances the body's immune response against cancer cells. By leveraging the established use of BCG, this treatment aims to improve outcomes for patients who do not respond to standard therapies. The study will evaluate the effectiveness of this new treatment in stimulating anti-tumor responses through the immune system.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could provide a more effective treatment option for patients with bladder cancer, particularly those who are unresponsive to current therapies.
How similar studies have gone: While there have been efforts to improve BCG treatments, this specific approach using STING agonists in a live bacterial vaccine is novel and has not been widely tested.
Where this research is happening
-
Oncosting LLC
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wallach, Todd — Oncosting LLC
- Study coordinator: Wallach, Todd
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Population modeling to reduce bladder cancer burden
Aimed at predicting and guiding effective, population-based ways to prevent and control bladder cancer.
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Blocking a new immune checkpoint in bladder cancer
Researchers are trying medicines that block a newly found immune pathway to help people with bladder cancer, especially those whose tumors do not respond to current immunotherapy.
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Nrf2 in T cells and how it could boost immune power against bladder cancer
A small grant will explore how a T-cell protein called Nrf2 affects muscle-invasive bladder cancer and whether targeting it could help patients respond better to immune therapies.
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Understanding why bladder cancer spreads and resists treatment
This grant studies how advanced bladder cancer changes and spreads across the body, aiming to uncover why it’s hard to treat.
-
Molecular clues to bladder cancer cell changes and therapy response
This NIH grant looks at how bladder cancer cells change their identity and how that affects response to treatment, with a focus on aggressive neuroendocrine variants.
-
Repurposing spironolactone to treat bladder cancer inside the bladder
Aims to repurpose spironolactone as an intravesical treatment for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer to help prevent recurrence and progression.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.