Blood immune cells and their role in glioblastoma
Official title: Myeloid Recruitments and their Role in Brain Tumors
Funded at University of Pennsylvania · NIH-11306611 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Learning how two types of blood immune cells, monocytes and neutrophils, enter and change glioblastoma tumors to help people with this aggressive brain cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | April 15, 2024 |
| Project end | March 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $632,746 |
| NIH project number | 5R01NS137631-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11306611 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People diagnosed with glioblastoma, especially those whose tumors are classified as Proneural, Classical, or Mesenchymal, would be most relevant to these findings.
✕Less likely to help
Because much of the work is preclinical, patients are unlikely to receive immediate direct treatment benefit, and people without glioblastoma would not be affected.
What this research studies
This project looks at how monocytes and neutrophils from the blood get into glioblastoma tumors and turn into tumor-associated macrophages or neutrophils. Researchers use genetically engineered mouse models that carry human glioblastoma driver mutations and compare different tumor subtypes like Proneural, Classical, and Mesenchymal. They block specific immune cell influxes, track how other cell types compensate, and use tissue analysis and molecular assays to map cell behaviors. The work aims to find myeloid cell features that could be targeted to slow tumor growth or improve responses to existing treatments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could point to new ways to block harmful immune cells or shift them to support therapies, potentially slowing glioblastoma growth or making treatments work better.
How similar studies have gone: Previous efforts to target tumor-associated myeloid cells have had limited or mixed success, so this project builds on newer insights about cell diversity and compensatory recruitment.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hambardzumyan, Dolores — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Hambardzumyan, Dolores
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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.