A new way to measure muscle loss in cancer
Official title: Pre-clinical study for the use of D3-Creatine as a biomarker in cachexia clinical trials
Funded at Edward Hines Jr VA Hospital · NIH-11116903 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research explores if a special marker called D3-Creatine can accurately measure muscle loss in veterans with cancer, helping to improve future treatment studies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Edward Hines Jr VA Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Hines, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| NIH project number | 5I21RX005146-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11116903 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients who experience muscle wasting due to cancer, particularly veterans, might eventually benefit from improved diagnostic tools developed from this research.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without cancer-related muscle wasting or those not participating in future clinical trials using this biomarker may not directly benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
Many veterans with cancer experience muscle wasting, which can make treatments less effective and lead to physical disability. Currently, it's hard to precisely diagnose and track this muscle loss, making it difficult to test new treatments. This project looks at D3-Creatine, a promising new way to measure muscle mass that has shown good results in other conditions. We want to understand if D3-Creatine can reliably measure muscle changes specifically in cancer-related muscle wasting, paving the way for better clinical trials.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to a more accurate way to identify and track muscle wasting in cancer patients, helping to design more effective clinical trials for new treatments.
How similar studies have gone: D3-Creatine has shown promise as a muscle mass biomarker in age-related muscle loss, but its use in cancer-related muscle wasting is still being explored.
Where this research is happening
-
Edward Hines Jr VA Hospital
Hines, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lieber, Richard L. — Edward Hines Jr VA Hospital
- Study coordinator: Lieber, Richard L.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Mitochondrial pores and muscle loss in cancer cachexia
A small US-based study will explore how changes in mitochondria contribute to muscle wasting in people with cancer cachexia and how this may be slowed.
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CANCAN: A Virtual Institute to Cure Cancer Cachexia
A broad, collaborative NIH initiative aims to uncover why cancer patients lose weight and muscle and to develop new ways to treat this serious condition.
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Adipose tissue and its role in lung cancer cachexia
A new NIH grant explores how fat tissue around the body may feed lung cancer growth and drive weight loss, with the aim of finding ways to help patients who struggle with cancer cachexia.
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Spatial metabolism mapping in cancer cachexia tissues
Aims to map where and how metabolism changes in tissues affected by cancer cachexia using advanced imaging technology.
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Innate inflammatory control of cachexia in chronic disease
A research team is studying how inflammation drives cachexia in chronic disease using a parasite model to find therapies that could protect lean body mass without raising infection risk.
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Nuclear receptors that may stop muscle wasting in cancer
This grant explores whether activating specific muscle-regulating receptors can prevent muscle loss in cancer patients.
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.