Family-based testing to prevent gastric cancer from Helicobacter pylori
Official title: Family-based Helicobacter pylori infection control and management strategy for cost-effective prevention of gastric cancer
Funded at Baylor College of Medicine · NIH-11337853 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A doctor-facing plan to test and treat multiple family members of someone with H. pylori to prevent stomach cancer in adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Baylor College of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2026 |
| Project end | July 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $662,906 |
| NIH project number | 1R01CA311106-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11337853 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults in households with a known H. pylori infection or exposure, especially in settings similar to the U.S. population studied.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without exposure to H. pylori or in populations where prevalence remains very low may see minimal impact.
What this research studies
This project targets adults and families to reduce gastric cancer risk by identifying and treating Helicobacter pylori beyond the usual symptom-based testing. It builds on evidence that eradicating H. pylori lowers cancer risk and proposes a family-based testing approach to catch silent infections. The team at Baylor College of Medicine aims to test household members of positive cases and provide eradication therapy as needed, with cost-effectiveness in mind. The study will use clinical data and community outreach to implement testing strategies in real-world settings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could lower gastric cancer risk for high‑risk families by expanding screening beyond those with symptoms.
How similar studies have gone: Previous trials show that eradicating H. pylori reduces cancer risk; family-based testing is a newer strategy with promising early results but requires further evaluation.
Where this research is happening
-
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Thrift, Aaron Peter — Baylor College of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Thrift, Aaron Peter
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Advancing gastric cancer care for Latinos through patient-derived tumor models
Aimed at Latinos with gastric cancer, this project uses patient-derived tumor models to study how cancer biology and treatments work in real tumors.
-
Circulating metabolites as early warning signs for gastric cancer
Researchers will look at blood-based metabolites to find signs that predict gastric cancer risk in people, with a focus on those in large, multi-center cohorts.
-
Understanding why racial differences exist in stomach cancer in the US
This grant studies why some racial groups in the US have higher stomach cancer rates, focusing on how Helicobacter pylori infection and host responses contribute to these differences.
-
Understanding how gastric cancer starts and grows in the stomach
Researchers at Columbia are studying how two main types of stomach cancer begin and progress, using new mouse models and advanced single-cell and spatial analysis to map where cancer cells come from and how they change.
-
Gastric cancer prevention and screening modeled to guide US care
A nationwide modeling project uses AI and advanced simulations to help decide who should be tested and treated for stomach cancer prevention and screening in the United States.
-
Improved fibrin-targeted radiopharmaceutical for gastric cancer
A new radiopharmaceutical targets fibrin in gastric cancer to help treat advanced disease with potentially fewer side effects.
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.