How dietary fats change tumor growth and treatment response
Official title: Diet-mediated regulation of fatty acid saturation impacts cancer progression and therapy responses.
Funded at Van Andel Research Institute · NIH-11308670 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how the types of fats people eat change tumor behavior and whether those changes help people with cancer respond better to treatments.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Van Andel Research Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Grand Rapids, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2024 |
| Project end | March 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $796,798 |
| NIH project number | 5U01CA286580-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11308670 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with cancer who are willing to provide tumor or blood samples and to consider supervised dietary changes alongside their cancer care would be the most relevant candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without cancer or patients whose tumors are driven by mechanisms unrelated to lipid metabolism may not benefit from the findings.
What this research studies
Researchers will study how diet alters the saturation of fatty acids in the body and within tumors and how those changes affect cancer progression and therapy response. They will use lab experiments, animal models, and analysis of patient tumor samples to map the molecular pathways linking dietary fats to tumor biology. The team plans to test how specific dietary patterns interact with standard and emerging cancer treatments. The goal is to develop knowledge that could allow tailoring dietary advice to improve treatment outcomes for particular tumor types.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify diet-based strategies that make cancer treatments more effective or slow tumor growth.
How similar studies have gone: This is an emerging area with promising preclinical evidence linking nutrient levels to tumor behavior, but there is limited definitive clinical proof so far.
Where this research is happening
-
Van Andel Research Institute
Grand Rapids, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lien, Evan Chen — Van Andel Research Institute
- Study coordinator: Lien, Evan Chen
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.