How lung tumors and their surrounding environment change during treatment for non-small cell lung cancer
The Delta Ecology of NSCLC Treatment
This project looks at how non-small cell lung cancer tumors and the nearby lung environment change during treatment to find better ways to prevent resistance.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Ctr & Res Inst NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tampa, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11178385 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you take part, researchers will start with anonymized clinical records and tumor samples to track how tumors and surrounding lung tissues change during treatment. They will use computer models to predict ecological shifts and then test those predictions in lab-grown tumor cells and animal models. The team focuses on tumors with common driver mutations (RAS, EGFR, ALK) and cycles through developing, testing, and refining models to better match real patient outcomes. Work is organized into two project teams and shared resource cores at Moffitt to move findings toward therapies that could limit treatment failure.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with non-small cell lung cancer, especially those whose tumors have RAS, EGFR, or ALK driver mutations or who are receiving targeted therapies, would be most relevant.
Not a fit: Patients with small cell lung cancer, unrelated cancers, or without the specific driver mutations are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help develop treatments that reduce or delay drug resistance and better tailor therapy to each patient’s tumor and lung environment.
How similar studies have performed: Prior research has shown the tumor microenvironment and evolutionary models can explain treatment resistance, but this tightly integrated Delta-Ecology approach combining clinical data, computational models, lab tests, and animal validation is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Tampa, United States
- H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Ctr & Res Inst — Tampa, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Anderson, Alexander Robertson Allan — H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Ctr & Res Inst
- Study coordinator: Anderson, Alexander Robertson Allan
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.