Combination treatment for MTAP-deficient bladder cancer
Effective combination therapy for MTAP-deficient bladder carcinoma by targeting metabolic vulnerability and modulating tumor immune microenvironment
Combining a drug that targets altered tumor metabolism with immune therapy for people whose bladder cancer has lost the MTAP gene.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11141637 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project focuses on people with metastatic or advanced bladder cancer whose tumors have a homozygous MTAP deletion. Researchers plan to pair drugs that exploit the tumor's altered adenine/metabolic pathway with immune checkpoint therapies to turn an immunologically 'cold' tumor into a more active one. They will study tumor samples and laboratory models to understand how accumulated MTA suppresses immune responses and to identify the best drug combinations. Promising combinations will be advanced toward clinical testing to see if they improve patient responses to immunotherapy.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with metastatic or advanced urothelial bladder cancer whose tumors show homozygous deletion of the MTAP gene (9p21 loss) and who are eligible for combination therapy trials.
Not a fit: Patients whose tumors retain MTAP, whose disease is driven by other dominant resistance mechanisms, or who cannot receive immunotherapy or experimental agents may not benefit from this approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could raise immunotherapy response rates and improve outcomes specifically for patients with MTAP-deficient bladder cancer.
How similar studies have performed: Immune checkpoint therapies have helped some bladder cancer patients and metabolic-targeting strategies show preclinical promise, but combining MTAP-directed metabolic targeting with immunotherapy for this specific subgroup is largely experimental.
Where this research is happening
Houston, United States
- University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr — Houston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gao, Jianjun — University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr
- Study coordinator: Gao, Jianjun
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.