Creating personalized models of rectal cancer for better treatment options
Official title: Expansion of Tumoroid Models for Precise Treatment of the Rectal Cancer Patient
Funded at Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research · NIH-10879791 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is creating tiny models of rectal cancer from patients' own tumors to help doctors understand how the cancer grows and how it responds to treatments, with the goal of improving care for people with rectal cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R37 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | March 1, 2025 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $545,622 |
| NIH project number | 4R37CA248289-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-10879791 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are patients diagnosed with rectal cancer who are undergoing treatment.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with rectal cancer who are not eligible for treatment or those with very early-stage disease may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on developing organoids, or tumoroids, from rectal cancer patients to create individualized models that accurately mimic the patient's tumors. By growing these tumoroids in a 3-dimensional culture, researchers aim to better understand how rectal cancers behave and respond to treatments like chemotherapy and radiation. The study also seeks to establish a large repository of these tumoroids to facilitate further research and improve treatment predictions for patients. This innovative approach addresses the limitations of existing cancer models that do not accurately represent the disease's local invasion and metastasis.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to more effective and personalized treatment strategies for rectal cancer patients.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary results from similar approaches have shown promise, indicating that patient-derived tumoroids can effectively mirror the characteristics of original tumors and predict treatment responses.
Where this research is happening
-
Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Smith, Jesse Joshua — Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
- Study coordinator: Smith, Jesse Joshua
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Molecular Characterization of Radiation Effects in Rectal Cancer
A patient-facing platform study aims to link tissue changes, imaging, and the immune system during radiotherapy for rectal cancer to improve future treatments.
-
Immune System and Radiation in Rectal Cancer
This grant supports a small international study to understand how radiation therapy interacts with the immune system in rectal cancer by collecting tumor, blood, stool, and lymph node samples from patients before and after treatment.
-
Targeting tryptophan metabolism to improve rectal cancer treatment
This NIH grant is exploring a new way to help people with locally advanced rectal cancer by combining radiation with a drug that blocks a pathway our immune system uses to protect tumors.
-
Time-restricted eating during rectal cancer treatment to reduce toxicity and improve outcomes
A clinical trial tests whether eating only within a set time window during cancer treatment can reduce side effects and help treatments work better for rectal cancer patients.
-
Enhancing Rectal Cancer Immunotherapy with Radiation-Induced Senescence and PTPN2 Inhibition
This grant explores a combo approach using radiation and a targeted inhibitor to boost the body's immune attack on rectal cancer, aiming to preserve the organ and reduce long-term side effects.
-
Early response to radiotherapy and immunotherapy in rectal cancer
A new approach combines short-course radiation, chemotherapy, and an immune therapy antibody to try to shrink rectal cancers before surgery or avoid surgery altogether.
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.