Fluorescence lifetime imaging to track B cells during cancer immunotherapy
Official title: Fluorescence lifetime tomography for the longitudinal quantification of B cell dynamics during immunotherapy treatment.
Funded at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary · NIH-11454799 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant will develop noninvasive imaging to watch how B cells change during immunotherapy in liver cancer models, with the goal of guiding better treatments for patients.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2021 |
| Project end | June 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $502,577 |
| NIH project number | 2R01CA260857-07A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11454799 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be patients with hepatocellular carcinoma or related liver cancers receiving immunotherapy, whose disease biology aligns with B cell–related mechanisms studied in this work.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without access to immunotherapy or with tumors not driven by B cell–related processes may not directly benefit from these imaging findings.
What this research studies
This project uses fluorescence lifetime tomography to noninvasively monitor tumor-infiltrating B cells over time in models of hepatocellular carcinoma. It builds on previous work showing the method can quantify biomarkers like PD-L1 in tumors. The ultimate aim is to understand how B cells respond to immunotherapy and how their activity relates to treatment success or resistance, which could inform future patient care. The approach combines advanced imaging with antibody-based probes to visualize dynamic B cell behavior in the tumor microenvironment.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to better monitoring of immunotherapy responses and guide personalized treatment decisions for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies demonstrated that FLT imaging can quantify biomarker expression in tumors, supporting potential translational value for monitoring B cell dynamics.
Where this research is happening
-
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kumar, Anand T.n. — Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
- Study coordinator: Kumar, Anand T.n.
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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.