Cancer cachexia: understanding and defeating muscle and fat loss in cancer patients
Official title: CANCAN-RUTGERS
Funded at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences · NIH-11539626 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A researchers’ team is studying cancer cachexia, a severe weight and muscle loss that affects many cancer patients, with the goal of finding why it happens and how to treat it.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Newark, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | June 22, 2022 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $648,929 |
| NIH project number | 3OT2CA278609-02S3 |
| Project ID | NIH-11539626 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with cancer experiencing or at risk for cachexia may benefit from future findings and therapies.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without cachexia or with cancers not associated with cachexia may not benefit directly.
What this research studies
Cancer cachexia causes weight loss due to loss of muscle and fat, worsens patients’ ability to cope with cancer treatment, and raises mortality. The project brings together international experts to study tumor-driven signals that may trigger appetite loss and metabolic problems. Researchers will use a virtual institute model to combine clinical phenotyping with preclinical models to identify key upstream mediators of cachexia. The effort aims to translate discovery into new therapies that improve quality of life and survival for patients with cancer.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients with cancer cachexia could receive new treatments that preserve weight and strength, improving treatment response and quality of life.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has mapped pathways of tissue atrophy but has not identified upstream mediators or effective therapies, making this approach novel and potentially impactful.
Where this research is happening
-
Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
Newark, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: White, Eileen P. — Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: White, Eileen P.
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.