Boosting immune attack against kidney cancer by activating both innate and adaptive immunity
Project 3: Maximizing Anti-tumor Activity through Simultaneous Activation of the Innate and Adaptive Immune System in Kidney Cancer
This project tries to improve cure rates for people with metastatic kidney cancer who only partially respond to initial immunotherapy by adding focused radiation and a new immune-stimulating drug to standard treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ut Southwestern Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Dallas, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11145087 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your cancer only shows a partial or stable response after standard ipilimumab plus nivolumab, the team plans to add stereotactic (targeted) radiation to tumors and give a novel STING agonist to stimulate innate immunity alongside ongoing checkpoint therapy. Doctors will collect tumor biopsies and blood samples to track immune changes and measure whether tumors shrink more completely. The work combines patient treatment with laboratory studies to understand how activating both immune arms might improve outcomes. The project is led at UT Southwestern and focuses on people with metastatic renal cell carcinoma who have an unmet need after induction therapy.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with metastatic renal cell carcinoma who received induction ipilimumab plus nivolumab and have stable disease (not progressive disease) after that initial treatment.
Not a fit: Patients who have clear disease progression after induction, cannot tolerate immunotherapy or radiation, or have medical conditions preventing biopsies or the investigational drug are unlikely to benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could raise complete response and long-term survival rates for people with metastatic renal cell carcinoma who currently get only partial benefit from immunotherapy.
How similar studies have performed: Checkpoint inhibitors like ipilimumab/nivolumab have produced durable cures in a minority of patients, but combining focused radiation with new innate immune stimulators such as STING agonists is promising yet still early and experimental.
Where this research is happening
Dallas, United States
- Ut Southwestern Medical Center — Dallas, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hannan, Raquibul — Ut Southwestern Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Hannan, Raquibul
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 below.