Gut bacteria and immunotherapy outcomes in advanced kidney cancer
Official title: Gut Microbiome and Cancer Immunotherapy Outcomes in Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma
Funded at University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr · NIH-11284115 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project compares people’s gut bacteria to their responses and side effects from immunotherapy for advanced kidney cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project start | March 1, 2022 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $927,329 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA255322-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11284115 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with advanced or metastatic renal cell carcinoma who are starting or receiving immunotherapy and who can provide stool and blood samples and follow-up information are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People with early-stage kidney cancer not treated with immunotherapy, or those unable or unwilling to provide biological samples, are unlikely to benefit directly from participating.
What this research studies
If you join, you would provide stool and blood samples before treatment and during follow-up so researchers can profile your gut bacteria using 16S sequencing and measure immune markers in the blood. The team will link those bacterial patterns and functions to whether immunotherapy helps you, causes side effects, or how long the cancer stays controlled. They will compare samples over time and validate findings in additional patient groups to see which signals are reliable.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help predict who will benefit from immunotherapy and who may suffer serious side effects, allowing more personalized treatment decisions for advanced kidney cancer patients.
How similar studies have gone: Related research has shown promising links between the gut microbiome and immunotherapy response in cancers like melanoma and lung cancer, but this approach is still relatively new for kidney cancer.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr
Houston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fedirko, Veronika — University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr
- Study coordinator: Fedirko, Veronika
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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The role of gut bacteria in cancer treatment outcomes for kidney cancer patients
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Improving kidney cancer treatment by enhancing immune response
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Engineering immunogenic cell death to boost melanoma and kidney cancer therapy
This grant supports research aimed at making melanoma and kidney cancer cells die in a way that triggers a stronger immune response in patients.
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Prognostic test to predict metastasis in clear cell kidney cancer
A new 12-marker biomarker test for people with clear cell renal cell carcinoma may help doctors predict which patients are at higher risk of metastasis.
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.