Deep profiling of how fusion-driven pediatric cancers spread, using single-cell protein tools
Official title: Deep phenotyping of fusion oncoprotein-driven pediatric cancer metastasis with single-cell proteomics
Funded at Rice University · NIH-11457479 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will develop fast, highly capable single-cell protein measurements to understand how certain pediatric cancers, like Ewing sarcoma, spread and evade the immune system.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rice University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project start | September 11, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $915,515 |
| NIH project number | 4DP2CA290802-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11457479 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are pediatric cancer patients whose disease involves fusion oncoproteins driving metastasis, or tissue samples from such patients suitable for single-cell analysis.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose cancer does not involve fusion oncoproteins or whose tumors are not studied with single-cell proteomics may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This grant aims to create new high-throughput methods to image and quantify proteins in individual cancer cells in 3D cultures, focusing on fusion-driven pediatric tumors. The approach includes a novel electro-clearing technique to clean up proteins before staining and advanced imaging to capture cytoskeletal structures and invasion patterns. By studying immune interactions and cell adhesion in metastasis, the work hopes to reveal how metastatic cells dodge immune responses. The project plans to test these methods on large numbers of single cells to provide detailed, quantitative data that could guide future therapies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients with metastatic pediatric cancers could benefit from better understanding of how metastasis works, potentially informing more targeted treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Other groups have shown that single-cell and high-throughput imaging can illuminate metastatic mechanisms, but this project extends the methods to pediatric fusion-driven cancers and cytoskeletal phenotyping.
Where this research is happening
-
Rice University
Houston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Vlassakis, Julea — Rice University
- Study coordinator: Vlassakis, Julea
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Investigating how certain proteins affect the spread of pediatric cancer cells
This study is looking at how certain proteins in Ewing sarcoma, a type of cancer that affects kids, change how the cancer cells act and spread, with the hope of finding new ways to help the immune system fight the cancer.
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Lymph node metastasis and immune tolerance in head and neck cancer
A study in people with head and neck cancer looks at how cancer spread to lymph nodes may shape the immune system and help tumors grow.
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Targeting how RMS cells fail to mature to slow or stop pediatric muscle cancer spread
A project to understand why a pediatric muscle cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma spreads, and to test ideas that could slow or stop it by helping cancer cells mature properly.
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Centers studying how cancer spreads through the body
A multi-institutional project at Rockefeller University is exploring how nerves, blood vessels, lymphatics, immune cells, and metabolites influence the spread of cancer to help identify new ways to stop metastasis.
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Angiopoietin-2 and Tie2 signals shaping liver metastasis in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors
A study explores how Angiopoietin-2 and the Tie2 receptor influence the spread of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors to the liver and how this affects responses to immunotherapy.
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Nanoparticles that boost MRI to find tiny brain metastases
This uses tiny magnetic nanoparticles and new MRI image processing to help doctors find very small brain metastases earlier in people with cancer.
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.