ColoCare: tracking health and recovery after colorectal cancer
Transdisciplinary Team Science in Colorectal Cancer Prognosis: the ColoCare Study
This project follows people with colorectal cancer over time to find blood, stool, and tissue signs that predict recovery and long-term outcomes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Salt Lake City, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11170698 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join ColoCare, you'll be enrolled soon after a colorectal cancer diagnosis at a participating center and followed over months and years. The project collects detailed health and treatment records plus biospecimens including tumor tissue and serial blood, stool, and urine samples at multiple time points. Researchers combine lifestyle, clinical, and molecular data to look for markers linked to recurrence, survival, and quality of life. That information is used to help guide treatment choices and to design interventions that could improve outcomes for survivors.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults newly diagnosed with colorectal cancer who are treated at a participating clinic and willing to provide medical data and biospecimens over time are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People without colorectal cancer, or those unable or unwilling to provide follow-up medical information and biospecimens, are unlikely to receive direct benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help personalize treatments, identify patients at higher risk of recurrence, and guide interventions to improve survival and quality of life.
How similar studies have performed: Previous cohort studies have identified some prognostic biomarkers, but ColoCare's large, multi-site design with repeated biospecimen collection is relatively unique and aims to validate and discover additional markers.
Where this research is happening
Salt Lake City, United States
- Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah — Salt Lake City, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ulrich, Cornelia M — Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah
- Study coordinator: Ulrich, Cornelia M
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.