Epstein-Barr virus–linked stomach and nasopharyngeal cancer models
Official title: Models of EBV Cancer
Funded at Wistar Institute · NIH-11334360 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Building and sharing lab-grown tumor models and animal models of EBV-positive stomach and throat cancers to speed development of better treatments for people with those cancers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wistar Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | May 11, 2023 |
| Project end | April 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $302,924 |
| NIH project number | 5P01CA269043-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11334360 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with EBV-positive gastric or nasopharyngeal cancer who can provide tumor tissue or biological samples for research would be the ideal candidates to contribute to this work.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose tumors are EBV-negative or who cannot donate tissue are unlikely to benefit directly from these specific models.
What this research studies
This program creates and maintains a large library of EBV-positive and EBV-negative tumor cell lines, human gastric organoids, and patient-derived tumors grown in mice so researchers can study these cancers. The core provides viral strains and engineered viruses, genetically modified organoids (for example with TP53 or ARID1A changes), and verified models for drug testing. Labs use these models to study how EBV drives cancer and to screen compounds that might work against EBV-associated tumors. The resources are shared with the program investigators and collaborating centers to support multiple projects aimed at finding effective therapies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, these models could speed discovery of drugs that work against EBV-associated gastric and nasopharyngeal cancers and help tailor treatments to tumor genetics.
How similar studies have gone: Organoid and patient-derived xenograft approaches have proved useful in other cancer types and offer promise for EBV-associated tumors, though EBV-specific models are still comparatively new.
Where this research is happening
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Wistar Institute
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Soldan, Samantha Standish — Wistar Institute
- Study coordinator: Soldan, Samantha Standish
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.