Citrate use by tumor and immune cells in childhood midline brain tumors
Probing citrate metabolism in tumor and immune cells in diffuse midline gliomas
This work looks at how tumor and immune cells use citrate in children with diffuse midline glioma to help make immunotherapy and new imaging methods work better.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11239815 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If my child had a diffuse midline glioma, this team would study tumor and immune cells from patient samples and lab models to see how the tumor makes and releases citrate. They will test whether blocking enzymes like PGK1 lowers citrate production and reduces immune suppression around the tumor. The researchers will use patient-derived cells, animal models, and a new deuterium metabolic imaging technique to track tumor metabolism and responses. The goal is to link metabolic changes to better immune treatments and potential imaging biomarkers.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Children diagnosed with diffuse midline glioma, particularly tumors carrying the H3K27M mutation or patients able to provide tumor tissue samples, would be the most relevant candidates.
Not a fit: Patients with unrelated tumor types, adults, or those without the H3K27M-driven DMG biology are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could improve immune-based treatments for children with DMG and provide new imaging or biomarker tools to monitor response.
How similar studies have performed: Preclinical work, including patient-derived and animal models, has shown that inhibiting PGK1 can reduce citrate-driven immunosuppression and improve immune responses, while the imaging approach is promising but still novel for clinical use.
Where this research is happening
San Francisco, United States
- University of California, San Francisco — San Francisco, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Viswanath, Pavithra — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Viswanath, Pavithra
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.