How cancer cells and brain support cells interact in brain metastases
Official title: Project I: Systems analysis of tumor-stroma interactions in brain metastasis
Funded at Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research · NIH-11176066 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how breast and lung cancer cells interact with brain cells to explain why some cancers spread to the brain and how to stop them.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | September 16, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $442,500 |
| NIH project number | 5U54CA274492-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11176066 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with breast or lung cancer that has spread to the brain, especially those undergoing surgery or biopsy who can provide tumor samples.
✕Less likely to help
People without brain metastases or those with cancers not studied here (for example non-breast, non-lung tumors) are unlikely to get direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective, the team combines lab experiments in mice, analysis of tumor samples from people, and advanced computer methods to map how cancer cells and brain support cells (like astrocytes and microglia) interact. They compare patterns seen in triple-negative and HER2+ breast cancers and lung adenocarcinoma to understand why some tumors grow along blood vessels while others form tight clumps. The researchers are also connecting those growth patterns to immune changes in brain cells that have been seen in Alzheimer's disease. The goal is to find molecules or strategies that could block cancer cells from colonizing the brain.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new ways to prevent or treat brain metastases from breast and lung cancer.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies from this group have identified molecules that help cancer cells colonize the brain, but this cross-cancer, systems-level analysis using patient samples is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
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Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Massague, Joan — Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
- Study coordinator: Massague, Joan
Related research
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Prolactin signaling and brain metastasis in HER2-positive breast cancer
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ATM kinase as a target to help NSCLC with brain metastases respond to treatment
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How an immune signal in brain support cells helps breast cancer spread to the brain
This project looks at whether a specific immune signal in brain support cells (astrocytes) helps breast cancer cells grow in the brain, aiming to help people with breast cancer that has spread to the brain.
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Brain cancer cells and brain cells talk to each other to spread to the brain
A research project uses computer and mouse studies to understand how cancer cells that spread from breast or lung tumors grow in the brain and interact with brain support cells.
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How brain support cells' recycling affects breast cancer spread to the brain
This project looks at whether blocking a cell-recycling process in brain support cells can prevent or slow breast cancer that spreads to the brain in people with breast cancer.
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.