A System to Support Development and Success of Trials for Rare Cancers
Official title: A System to Support Development and Success of NCI-Sponsored Trials for Rare Diseases
Funded at University of Pennsylvania · NIH-11394592 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant aims to make it easier to run and enroll patients in rare cancer trials by strengthening network pathways and leadership in biomarker-driven studies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | August 11, 2025 |
| Project end | July 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $122,610 |
| NIH project number | 5R50CA305057-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11394592 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with rare gastrointestinal cancers or those whose tumors have actionable biomarkers may be eligible through NCI-sponsored trial networks.
✕Less likely to help
Patients seeking non-biopsy-based therapies or without eligible biomarkers may not benefit from this program.
What this research studies
If you have a rare gastrointestinal cancer, this grant supports improving how researchers run biomarker-guided trials through the NCI-sponsored network. It focuses on building programs that help junior and mid-career doctors create investigator-initiated studies and ensure rare-population trials can be designed and accrued successfully. The work leverages existing tumor biology markers and national networks to streamline trial development and patient access. The program is led by experienced clinicians at the University of Pennsylvania who coordinate with national oncology groups to advance care for rare cancers.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Patients with rare gastrointestinal cancers could gain faster access to biomarker-driven trials and more reliable trial pathways if the program succeeds.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work in rare-cancer trial networks and biomarker-driven studies has shown improved accrual and trial efficiency in several settings.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Reiss Binder, Kim a — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Reiss Binder, Kim a
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Liver pathobiology from rare liver diseases
A study at UCSF looks at why rare liver conditions cause liver damage, with the aim of finding new ways to diagnose and treat chronic liver disease.
-
Data Management and Coordinating Center support for Rare Diseases Research
A national rare diseases research program is funding a center to manage data and coordinate studies to help improve diagnosis, care, and potential treatments for children with rare conditions.
-
EEG-based drug repurposing for rare CNS diseases
A new approach uses EEG brain signatures to find existing drugs that might help people with rare nervous-system disorders.
-
Ethics of Engaging Patient Groups in Drug Development for Rare Diseases
This grant asks how patient and family groups can ethically help shape rare-disease drug development from idea to market, with input from patients, families, doctors, and researchers.
-
Center for Polyamine Disorders group study of rare metabolic disorders
A research consortium is studying a group of rare metabolic disorders linked to polyamines and aims to understand symptoms, biomarkers, and disease progression to improve care.
-
Encore: speeding up finding new uses for existing drugs to help kids with rare diseases
A big NIH project will test thousands of existing medicines to see if any can help treat rare genetic diseases in children.
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.