Focused ultrasound combined with calreticulin nanoparticles to boost immune attack on melanoma
Official title: Novel focused ultrasound enhanced calreticulin-nanoparticle for immune primed melanoma immunotherapy
Funded at Ut Southwestern Medical Center · NIH-10732973 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Trying to boost immune attack on melanoma in people by combining a nanoparticle that raises calreticulin in tumors with focused ultrasound.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R37 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ut Southwestern Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Dallas, United States) |
| Project start | June 4, 2019 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,239,509 |
| NIH project number | 4R37CA239150-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-10732973 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Likely candidates for future trials would be adults with advanced or immunotherapy-resistant melanoma who can travel to a specialist center.
✕Less likely to help
People without melanoma, those with early-stage disease already curable by surgery, or patients who cannot tolerate intratumoral injections or focused ultrasound are unlikely to benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers deliver a liposome nanoparticle directly into tumors that increases calreticulin, a signal that helps the immune system recognize cancer cells. They add focused ultrasound to the tumor to change the local environment and enhance immune activation. The team is testing this intratumoral ‘‘vaccine’’ approach in mouse melanoma models, including both lean and obese animals, to see how body weight affects results. Results will help decide how to design a first-in-human phase I trial.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help more people with melanoma respond to immunotherapy and reduce tumor growth.
How similar studies have gone: Similar preclinical approaches using intratumoral vaccines or local tumor heating have shown promising results in mice, but clinical evidence in humans is limited.
Where this research is happening
-
Ut Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ranjan, Ashish — Ut Southwestern Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Ranjan, Ashish
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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.