Combining targeted radioligand therapy with immunotherapy for advanced prostate cancer
Official title: Project 1-Combination Immunotherapy with Radioligned Therapy for Metastatic Prostate Cancer
Funded at University of California, San Francisco · NIH-11181251 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Seeing if adding targeted radioligand therapy to immunotherapy helps men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer by boosting the immune attack on tumors.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | September 2, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $529,989 |
| NIH project number | 5P50CA275741-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11181251 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer whose tumors express PSMA and who are eligible for radioligand therapy and immunotherapy.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without PSMA-expressing tumors, with contraindications to immunotherapy or radioligand therapy, or who cannot undergo biopsies may not benefit from this project.
What this research studies
You would receive a targeted radioligand that seeks prostate cancer cells (like 177Lu-PSMA) together with immune checkpoint drugs while doctors collect tumor biopsies and blood samples. Researchers will use single-cell RNA sequencing and other lab tests to track how immune cells and myeloid cells in the tumor respond. The team aims to find a radioligand type and timing that primes new anti-tumor T cells without triggering immune-suppressing cells. Results could guide safer, more effective combination schedules for future patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could make immunotherapy work better for men whose prostate cancer no longer responds to hormone therapy.
How similar studies have gone: Targeted radioligand therapy such as 177Lu-PSMA-617 has shown benefit in metastatic prostate cancer, but combining it with immunotherapy is a newer approach still under active testing.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fong, Lawrence — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Fong, Lawrence
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Combination immunotherapy with radioligand therapy for metastatic prostate cancer
A study aims to help men with advanced prostate cancer by combining immune therapy with targeted radiation to boost the body’s own defense against cancer.
-
Understanding what drives lethal metastatic prostate cancer in men
This grant looks at why some prostate cancers become deadly and spread, using patient-derived cells and mouse models.
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Off-the-shelf tumor cell vaccine tailored to your tumor’s HLA type for advanced prostate cancer
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Androgen deprivation as an immune boost with targeted immunotherapy for prostate cancer
This grant tests whether depriving androgens can boost the body’s immune attack against prostate cancer when combined with a vaccine-style immunotherapy.
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ASH1L’s role in metastatic prostate cancer and its immune environment
Aims to understand how the ASH1L gene helps prostate cancer spread and how it shapes the immune environment in bone metastases so future therapies can target this process.
-
Molecular drivers of lineage changes and new therapies for metastatic prostate cancer
A multi-year study at a major university will explore how metastatic prostate cancer changes its cell type and how to target those changes to help patients.
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.