Adipose tissue and its role in lung cancer cachexia
Official title: Adipose tissue as a novel facilitator of tumor growth and cachexia
Funded at University of Vermont & St Agric College · NIH-11587408 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Vermont & St Agric College NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Burlington, United States) |
| Project start | July 14, 2025 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $249,000 |
| NIH project number | 4R00CA304501-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11587408 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with lung cancer who experience or are at risk of cancer cachexia may benefit from future therapies informed by this research.
✕Less likely to help
The study is preclinical and does not involve patient participation at this stage; direct benefits to individual patients are not guaranteed during the project.
What this research studies
This project uses a lung cancer model in which tumors grow in the lung and shares features with human disease to study early steps of cancer cachexia. The researchers focus on how adipose tissue loss occurs before muscle wasting and how fat breakdown might promote tumor growth. They are testing whether blocking fat breakdown can reduce tumor progression in animal models, which could point to new strategies for supporting patients with cachexia. The work connects tumor biology to body-wide wasting, aiming to identify targets for therapies that could improve energy, strength, and quality of life for patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could lead to new approaches to slow tumor growth and prevent or lessen cachexia in patients with lung cancer.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical models linking adipose tissue loss to tumor growth have shown promise, but this specific slow-progressing Kras-driven lung cachexia model is being refined for better human relevance.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Vermont & St Agric College
Burlington, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Snoke, Deena B — University of Vermont & St Agric College
- Study coordinator: Snoke, Deena B
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Stopping an enzyme called Transglutaminase 2 to prevent cancer-related muscle loss
This work explores whether blocking an enzyme called Transglutaminase 2 can stop or reverse the severe muscle wasting that often affects people with pancreatic cancer.
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.