Can cancer cachexia be reversed by targeting body-wide metabolic signals?
Official title: CANCAN - Kaiser
Funded at Kaiser Foundation Research Institute · NIH-11539619 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers at Kaiser are exploring how cancer-related weight and muscle loss (cachexia) happens and whether new approaches can improve appetite, metabolism, and tissue health for people with cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Kaiser Foundation Research Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Oakland, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | June 22, 2022 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $973,898 |
| NIH project number | 3OT2CA278691-01S4 |
| Project ID | NIH-11539619 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with cancer who experience or are at risk of cancer cachexia and are pursuing standard cancer care.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without cancer cachexia or those not receiving treatments where cachexia-targeted therapies would be applicable may not benefit.
What this research studies
Cancer cachexia is a serious condition where patients lose weight and muscle because of cancer. This project brings together international experts to study how tumors communicate with the body to cause anorexia and tissue wasting, using advanced metabolic tracing and imaging to map host-tumor interactions. The team aims to identify upstream mediators and develop high-quality discovery science that could lead to new therapies and better clinical phenotyping of cachexia. By understanding these pathways, they hope to improve quality of life, treatment tolerance, and survival for patients facing cancer.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could pave the way for new treatments that reduce weight and muscle loss in cancer patients and improve outcomes.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have advanced knowledge of cachexia pathways, but effective upstream targets and therapies remain to be established, making this an exploratory yet linked step forward.
Where this research is happening
-
Kaiser Foundation Research Institute
Oakland, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Feliciano, Elizabeth Marjorie Cespedes — Kaiser Foundation Research Institute
- Study coordinator: Feliciano, Elizabeth Marjorie Cespedes
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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.