Gut immune cells and the microbiome in colorectal cancer
Innate lymphoid cell regulation of the host-microbiota interactions in cancer
['FUNDING_R01'] · WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV · NIH-11210760
This project looks at how certain immune cells in the gut interact with microbes to influence colorectal cancer and response to immunotherapy.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (NEW YORK, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11210760 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
Researchers will focus on a type of immune cell called ILC3s that help control interactions between the gut microbiome and the body’s cancer defenses. They will compare how these cells behave in healthy intestine versus colorectal tumors using lab models and patient-derived samples. The team will map the molecular signals that make ILC3s protective or disruptive in cancer and test how fixing those signals affects tumor growth and response to checkpoint-blocking immunotherapies. The work combines tissue and blood samples, animal and cell experiments, and molecular analyses to point toward therapies that restore healthy host-microbiota interactions.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with colorectal cancer, especially those receiving or scheduled for immunotherapy, or patients willing to donate tumor or blood samples, would be the ideal participants.
Not a fit: People without colorectal cancer or those seeking an immediate clinical treatment benefit rather than contributing samples for research are unlikely to benefit directly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new ways to improve immunotherapy or develop treatments that prevent microbiome-driven tumor progression in colorectal cancer.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have shown the microbiome can affect immunotherapy response and linked ILC3s to colorectal cancer, but the specific protective pathway targeted here is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV — NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: SONNENBERG, GREGORY F — WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV
- Study coordinator: SONNENBERG, GREGORY F
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.
Conditions: Cancer Model, CancerModel, Cancers