Follicular regulatory T cells that help tumors grow
Follicular Regulatory T-cells Promote Cancer
This project looks at whether a type of immune cell called follicular regulatory T (TFR) cells lets tumors hide from the immune system and whether targeting them could help people with cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Alabama at Birmingham NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Birmingham, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11231686 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will examine TFR immune cells found in tumors using both human tumor samples and laboratory models to see how these cells affect other immune cells and antibody responses. They will study a key switch called Blimp1 that keeps TFR cells suppressive and stable inside tumors. By removing or altering this switch in model systems, they will watch whether anti-tumor helper T cells and B cells become more active and whether antibodies increase in tumors. The overall goal is to find ways to reduce the tumor-promoting activity of TFR cells so existing or new immunotherapies work better.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be people with melanoma or other solid tumors who can donate tumor tissue or blood samples for research.
Not a fit: People seeking immediate therapy benefit, or patients whose cancers do not involve immune or antibody responses, may not see direct benefit from participating in this basic/translational research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new treatments that weaken tumor-promoting immune cells and strengthen anti-tumor immune and antibody responses.
How similar studies have performed: While targeting regulatory T cells has shown promise in some cancer research, the role of follicular regulatory T cells in tumors is largely new and relatively untested.
Where this research is happening
Birmingham, United States
- University of Alabama at Birmingham — Birmingham, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Leavenworth, Jianmei Wu — University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Study coordinator: Leavenworth, Jianmei Wu
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 below.