Administrative Core for Microbial Therapies Program Project
Funded at University of Massachusetts Amherst · NIH-11422182 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A coordinated program to develop microbial therapies that help people with triple-negative breast cancer who don’t respond to current immunotherapies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Massachusetts Amherst NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Hadley, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $520,903 |
| NIH project number | 1P01CA300738-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11422182 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with triple-negative breast cancer who have limited or no response to current immunotherapies and are eligible for clinical research could benefit from advances arising from this program.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not involved in microbial therapy research or whose cancer is not TNBC may not directly benefit from this program’s outputs.
What this research studies
This grant supports a collaborative effort between UMass Amherst and Weill Cornell Medicine to coordinate teams that design and test microbial therapies aimed at overcoming resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors in triple-negative breast cancer. The Administrative Core will align projects, cores, and resources, while providing biostatistics support and oversight to ensure steady progress. By centralizing operations, data, and shared tools, the program aims to accelerate translation of microbial therapies into effective treatments for patients. The focus is on building a structured, synergistic environment that can streamline collaboration and training for researchers working on this emerging approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this program could accelerate the development of microbial therapies that enhance responses to immunotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer.
How similar studies have gone: Previous efforts in microbial therapies and immune-oncology have shown promise in concept, with progress in preclinical and early clinical settings guiding similar programs.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Hadley, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Forbes, Neil S. — University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Study coordinator: Forbes, Neil S.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
New England Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases (NEWVEC)
A center in New England will develop and test practical ways to prevent tick bites and reduce diseases from ticks, while training public health workers and engaging communities.
-
Understanding how minority stress affects cannabis use in sexual minorities
A research project follows young adult sexual minorities to see how daily stress and coping help explain cannabis use and related problems.
-
A non-contact way to measure stiffness in hydrogel scaffolds for tissue engineering
A new method uses 2D acoustic force elastography microscopy to measure how stiff hydrogel scaffolds are, without touching them, to help tissue engineering efforts.
-
Automated neural identification across species and development
A computer-driven project to map and track every neuron in molluscs’ brains as they grow and evolve, to better understand how brains stay organized over time.
-
Nanopore Tweezers to Study Kinase Movements and Find Allosteric Inhibitors in Cancers
A new technology uses nanopore tweezers to watch how cancer-related kinases move in real time and to screen for drugs that stop them by binding at sites away from the active site.
-
Promesa: Urban gardens and peer nutrition to help people with HIV in the Dominican Republic
A unified program uses urban gardening and peer nutrition counseling to help people living with HIV who are food insecure in the Dominican Republic improve their health and HIV outcomes.
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.