Heart inflammation caused by cancer immunotherapy
Official title: Pathogenesis of Immune checkpoint inhibitors-induced myocarditis
Funded at Johns Hopkins University · NIH-11248804 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are learning how immune-checkpoint cancer drugs can trigger dangerous heart inflammation so future patients can be protected.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2025 |
| Project end | December 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $550,934 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA289729-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11248804 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
The findings would be most relevant to cancer patients treated with PD-1/PD-L1, CTLA-4, or LAG-3 inhibitors, especially those who develop signs of myocarditis such as chest pain, elevated troponin, or new arrhythmias.
✕Less likely to help
People whose heart problems are due to non-immune causes (for example, coronary artery disease or unrelated structural heart disease) are unlikely to benefit from the specific immune-focused interventions this research targets.
What this research studies
This project uses a mouse model that mimics the heart inflammation some patients get after immune-checkpoint cancer therapy, showing rises in heart injury markers, abnormal heart rhythms, and heavy immune cell infiltration of the heart. The team found that heart-specific myosin-reactive CD8+ T cells drive the damage and that similar T cells can be present in normal hearts, so they will study how these cells become activated and cause injury. Experiments include giving checkpoint-blocking antibodies to mice, monitoring troponin and heart rhythm changes, and examining the types and behavior of immune cells in heart tissue. The goal is to pinpoint mechanisms that could be targeted to prevent or treat myocarditis without stopping cancer therapy.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help lead to ways to prevent or treat life-threatening myocarditis in people receiving immune-checkpoint inhibitors.
How similar studies have gone: Cases of immune-checkpoint inhibitor myocarditis have been reported and some animal models exist, but clear mechanistic targets and proven therapies remain limited.
Where this research is happening
-
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cihakova, Daniela — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Cihakova, Daniela
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Understanding heart inflammation caused by cancer immunotherapy
This study is looking at how certain cancer treatments can sometimes cause heart inflammation, and it's using mice to help understand why this happens so that doctors can find better ways to protect patients' hearts while they receive these therapies.
-
Understanding how immune checkpoint drugs can trigger inflammatory arthritis in cancer patients
This research looks at why some cancer patients develop inflammatory arthritis after PD-1 inhibitor therapy and what could be done to prevent it.
-
Gut bacteria that can make cancer immunotherapy less effective
This project will see if reducing chronic inflammation driven by certain gut bacteria can help immunotherapy work better for people whose cancers have stopped responding.
-
Rapid bedside molecular imaging of heart inflammation with ultrasound
A fast, point-of-care ultrasound test using special contrast bubbles may help doctors quickly see active heart inflammation in people with chest pain or suspected ACS.
-
Muscle-Related Enzyme TRIM55 and Autoimmune Heart Inflammation in Aicardi-Goutieres Syndrome
A new research project studies how a muscle-specific enzyme called TRIM55 drives autoimmune heart inflammation in a genetic syndrome.
-
Decoding how NSCLC patients respond and react to immunotherapy through noninvasive blood tests and tumor samples
A study in people with non-small cell lung cancer will look at blood and tumor samples to understand why some patients benefit from immunotherapy and who might have serious side effects.
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.