ctDNA biomarker to guide safety of cancer immunotherapy in inflammatory arthritis
Official title: Circulating cell free tumor DNA (ctDNA) in patients with immune checkpoint inhibitor associated inflammatory arthritis (ICI-IA): developing a biomarker to assess immunosuppressive drug safety
Funded at Hospital for Special Surgery · NIH-11411495 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A patient-facing biomarker study using a blood test to detect tumor DNA in people with cancer who develop inflammatory arthritis from immunotherapy, to help doctors pick safer treatment choices.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Hospital for Special Surgery NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 16, 2025 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $206,329 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AR085258-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11411495 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with advanced cancer who are being treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors and who develop inflammatory arthritis or related immune-related side effects.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without inflammatory arthritis or those not receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors may not directly benefit from this biomarker.
What this research studies
This project will look at a blood-based biomarker called circulating tumor DNA to understand how cancer treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors affects inflammatory arthritis. Researchers will combine advanced DNA sequencing with machine learning to detect very small amounts of cancer DNA in the blood and see how it relates to arthritis symptoms and treatment decisions. The goal is to find a way to monitor cancer control while choosing treatments that minimize immune-related side effects. If successful, this approach could help patients avoid unsafe drug choices and keep their cancer under better control.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could benefit from safer, more effective management of cancer while minimizing arthritis-related complications.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows ctDNA can reflect cancer status, supporting feasibility for monitoring in this context, but applying it specifically to ICI-related arthritis is novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Hospital for Special Surgery
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bass, Anne R — Hospital for Special Surgery
- Study coordinator: Bass, Anne R
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Understanding immune-triggered inflammatory arthritis from cancer immunotherapy
A clinical study looks at why inflammatory arthritis caused by cancer immunotherapy affects people differently and how to best treat it.
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Understanding immune changes in arthritis caused by cancer treatments
This study is looking at how a cancer treatment called immune checkpoint inhibitors might cause joint pain and inflammation in some patients, and it aims to understand how the immune system, especially certain immune cells, is involved in this process to help improve care for those affected.
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Understanding how immune checkpoint drugs can trigger inflammatory arthritis in cancer patients
This research looks at why some cancer patients develop inflammatory arthritis after PD-1 inhibitor therapy and what could be done to prevent it.
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Antenatal DMARD Use and Mother-Child Health in Women with Chronic Inflammatory Arthritis
This project aims to understand how continuing pregnancy-safe arthritis medicines during pregnancy affects health outcomes for mothers with chronic inflammatory arthritis and their babies.
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Gut barrier and antibiotics: how gut health affects inflammatory arthritis
Antibiotic use may increase the risk of inflammatory arthritis by changing the gut, and this project looks at how those gut changes influence joint inflammation in people with arthritis.
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Setbp1’s role in how joint cells behave during inflammatory arthritis
This project looks at how a protein called SETBP1 affects delicate joint cells (FLS) that drive inflammation in arthritis, with potential implications for better treatments.
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.