Helping immune cells detect and attack very early cancers
Co-stimulation of T cell responses to nascent, emerging tumors
['FUNDING_R21'] · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · NIH-11305309
This project looks at ways to strengthen T cell signals so the immune system can find and destroy tiny, just-forming tumors before they grow.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R21'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (PITTSBURGH, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11305309 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
If you follow this research, you'll learn how tiny proteins released by emerging tumor cells (called heat shock proteins, or HSPs) talk to immune helper cells through a receptor named CD91. Researchers use lab models, mouse experiments, and human cells or samples to see how that HSP–CD91 interaction gives T cells the three signals they need to become effective cancer killers. The team will test approaches to boost the co-stimulatory signals that help T cells respond to nascent tumors. The goal is to understand the steps that fail in people who later develop cancer so new preventive or early treatments can be designed.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People at higher risk for certain cancers or with immune-system defects affecting T cells, and individuals willing to donate blood or tissue samples, would be the most likely candidates to contribute or benefit downstream.
Not a fit: Patients with large, advanced, or widely metastatic cancers are unlikely to get direct benefit from this early-stage, lab-focused work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to therapies that help the immune system clear pre-cancerous cells and reduce the chance of cancers forming.
How similar studies have performed: Prior laboratory studies in mice and human cells have shown the HSP–CD91 pathway can prime T cells, but turning that knowledge into therapies is still at an early, experimental stage.
Where this research is happening
PITTSBURGH, UNITED STATES
- UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH — PITTSBURGH, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: BINDER, ROBERT J — UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- Study coordinator: BINDER, ROBERT J
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, Cancer Patient, CancerModel, Cancers