How bladder cancer spreads
Official title: Investigating mechanisms of bladder cancer metastasis
Funded at Columbia University Health Sciences · NIH-11168823 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are using new mouse models and computer analysis to find the molecular switches that make bladder cancer spread, with the goal of helping people with advanced bladder cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | September 19, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $516,846 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA283068-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11168823 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with advanced or metastatic bladder cancer would be the main future candidates for trials or sample donation related to this work.
✕Less likely to help
People without bladder cancer or with very early, low‑risk bladder tumors are unlikely to benefit directly from this preclinical project.
What this research studies
This project uses newly developed genetically engineered mice that reliably develop metastatic bladder cancer to study how tumors spread. Scientists will compare the mouse tumors with human bladder cancer to find shared 'master regulator' genes that drive metastasis. They will use a computational drug-prioritization tool called OncoTreat to nominate drugs that can flip those master regulators back to a non‑spreading state and then test candidates in the lab models. The hope is to identify targets and drugs that could be moved into future patient trials.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could point to new drugs or tests that block bladder cancer spread and improve survival for people with metastatic disease.
How similar studies have gone: Related preclinical programs have yielded drug leads before, but combining highly metastatic bladder mouse models with OncoTreat-driven drug selection is a relatively new and translational approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Columbia University Health Sciences
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Abate-Shen, Cory — Columbia University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Abate-Shen, Cory
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Understanding how bladder cancer spreads and how to stop it
This grant studies why bladder cancer spreads to other parts of the body and uses mouse models to test new ideas for stopping metastasis.
-
Understanding how bladder cancer spreads
This study is looking at how bladder cancer spreads in the body, especially in patients with advanced stages of the disease, using special mouse models to find out what causes this spread and to discover new treatments that might help.
-
Investigating chimeric RNAs in bladder cancer metastasis
This study is looking at how certain RNA changes in bladder cancer might help the cancer spread through the lymph nodes, with the hope of finding new ways to diagnose and treat patients facing this tough disease.
-
Lymph node metastasis and immune tolerance in head and neck cancer
A study in people with head and neck cancer looks at how cancer spread to lymph nodes may shape the immune system and help tumors grow.
-
Targeting how RMS cells fail to mature to slow or stop pediatric muscle cancer spread
A project to understand why a pediatric muscle cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma spreads, and to test ideas that could slow or stop it by helping cancer cells mature properly.
-
Centers studying how cancer spreads through the body
A multi-institutional project at Rockefeller University is exploring how nerves, blood vessels, lymphatics, immune cells, and metabolites influence the spread of cancer to help identify new ways to stop 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.