Cellular immune sensors to help fight colorectal and other gut cancers
Intracellular Innate Immune Receptors in Cancer Suppression and Immunotherapy
This project looks at whether innate immune sensors inside cells can help stop or improve treatment for colorectal and other gastrointestinal cancers, especially in people with chronic colitis/IBD or obesity.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11145756 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project studies how innate immune receptors inside cells influence the start and growth of colorectal and other gastrointestinal cancers. Researchers use animal models and cell experiments to explore links among chronic inflammation, obesity, genetics, and the gut microbiome. They are testing whether changing these innate sensors can reshape immune responses to make cancer immunotherapies work better. The team plans to translate promising laboratory findings toward human samples and future clinical testing.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with colorectal or other gastrointestinal cancers, especially those with a history of inflammatory bowel disease or obesity, would be most likely to qualify for future trials based on this work.
Not a fit: People without gastrointestinal cancers or those seeking immediate clinical treatments are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this basic-translational research at this time.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify new immune targets or strategies that make immunotherapy more effective for colorectal and other gastrointestinal cancers, particularly for patients with IBD or obesity.
How similar studies have performed: While targeting adaptive immunity has produced clear cancer treatment successes, using innate immune receptors for GI cancers is relatively novel and remains largely at the preclinical or early-stage level.
Where this research is happening
Chapel Hill, United States
- Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill — Chapel Hill, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ting, Jenny P — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Ting, Jenny 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 below.