Bladder cancer: how the tumor’s surrounding tissue shapes progression
Official title: The stromal microenvironment as a co-organizer of bladder carcinogenesis and progression
Funded at Methodist Hospital Research Institute · NIH-11418401 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A centralized research effort will map bladder tumors and their surrounding tissue to better understand why some cancers progress.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Methodist Hospital Research Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project start | September 22, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $237,617 |
| NIH project number | 5U54CA274375-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11418401 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) who have tissue samples available for retrospective or prospective collection.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without NMIBC or without access to tissue samples may not directly benefit from this core’s activities.
What this research studies
This program creates a dedicated Core B that combines tissue collection, spatial mapping, and bioinformatics to study bladder cancer. It gathers human tumor samples and clinical outcomes, both from past cases and new ones, to build a detailed map of where cancer and surrounding stroma interact. Researchers will use spatial transcriptomics and proteomics to visualize the tumor microenvironment and analyze data to link tissue patterns with disease progression. The aim is to share tissues and data with the broader research community to accelerate discoveries.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could benefit from more precise understanding of bladder cancer progression and faster access to shared data and tissue resources for future personalized approaches.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies using spatial omics have mapped tumor microenvironments and informed prognosis in various cancers, supporting the potential value of this approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Methodist Hospital Research Institute
Houston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Knott, Simon — Methodist Hospital Research Institute
- Study coordinator: Knott, Simon
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.