Boosting immune cell fat-burning to help fight metastatic colon cancer
Metabolic reprogramming to boost the fitness of anti-tumor immunity against metastatic colon cancer
This project tries to turn on a fat-burning program in immune cells to help immunotherapy work better for people with metastatic colorectal (colon) cancer, especially the common microsatellite-stable type.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R37 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cold Spring Harbor, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11309198 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are working to make CD8+ immune cells more fit to kill cancer by activating a metabolic pathway controlled by PPARδ and Cpt1a. They will use lab models, molecular tests (including ATAC-seq to study gene accessibility), and immune assays to see how boosting mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation affects T cell function in metastatic colorectal tumors. The team will test these metabolic changes together with existing immunotherapies to see if the combination improves anti-tumor responses. If promising, the work is intended to guide future clinical approaches that could be offered to patients in trials.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with metastatic colorectal cancer—especially those with microsatellite-stable (MSS) tumors who currently do not respond well to immunotherapy—would be the likely candidates for future trials informed by this work.
Not a fit: Patients with early-stage disease, cancers unrelated to colorectal cancer, or tumors that already respond well to immunotherapy (such as many MSI-high tumors) are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could make immunotherapy more effective for people with metastatic colorectal cancer and lead to new treatment options.
How similar studies have performed: Preclinical lab studies have shown that enhancing T cell fatty-acid metabolism can improve anti-tumor immunity, but clinical proof in metastatic colorectal cancer remains limited.
Where this research is happening
Cold Spring Harbor, United States
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory — Cold Spring Harbor, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Beyaz, Semir — Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
- Study coordinator: Beyaz, Semir
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.