Advancing spatial metabolism mapping in cancer with METASPACE
Official title: Advancing METASPACE and Spatial Metabolomics for Cancer Research
Funded at University of California, San Diego · NIH-11369957 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A patient-friendly overview: this grant aims to improve how we map where cancer-related molecules are inside tumors to better understand and treat cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Diego NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project start | June 23, 2025 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $796,385 |
| NIH project number | 5U24CA299590-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11369957 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Individuals with solid tumors who may benefit from improved tumor characterization and personalized treatment strategies.
✕Less likely to help
If a patient’s tumor type is not addressed by the findings, application to care may be limited.
What this research studies
This project focuses on using spatial metabolomics to see where metabolites are located within tumor tissues at a near-single-cell level. By combining this spatial technology with existing tissue analysis, researchers hope to reveal how cancer cells, immune cells, and other components interact in the tumor environment. The work emphasizes cancer biology and potential implications for treatments by understanding metabolism and cell behavior in situ. Results could help identify new therapeutic targets and ways to personalize cancer care based on tissue chemistry.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could gain more precise cancer diagnostics and targeted treatment options informed by the tumor’s metabolic landscape.
How similar studies have gone: Spatial metabolomics in cancer has yielded important insights; this project builds on and extends those approaches, with potential for new discoveries.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gonzalez, David J — University of California, San Diego
- Study coordinator: Gonzalez, David J
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Newborn screening: using gene and metabolite data to refine true vs false positives
A study using genetic and metabolomic data from newborn blood spots to better distinguish real metabolic disorders from false alarms.
-
IDEAL: How early-life immune development shapes vaccine responses and asthma risk
A child-focused project that looks at how the developing immune system in early life affects vaccine responses, respiratory infections, and asthma.
-
Integrative metabolomics to improve sarcoidosis diagnosis and prognosis
A research project from UCLA aims to find blood-based biomarkers that help diagnose sarcoidosis earlier and predict how it will progress, especially in African American women.
-
Metabolomics clues to how ultra-processed foods affect risk of type 2 diabetes
A scientist-led study will look at how eating different ultra-processed foods may change diabetes risk by using a controlled feeding trial and big population data, focusing on adults.
-
Longitudinal metabolomics in infants with food allergies
A study in infants aims to understand how gut metabolites relate to the development of food allergies, including IgE-mediated and non-IgE cases.
-
Biospecimen, Metabolomics, and Pathology Core for Endometrial Cancer Research
A national, multi-institutional resource collects and analyzes tissue, blood, and metabolites from endometrial cancer patients to support multiple research projects.
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.