How the location of pancreatic cancer spread affects immune cell responses
The Impact of Metastatic Site On Dendritic Cell-Driven Tumor Immunity
This project looks at how where pancreatic cancer spreads changes how dendritic immune cells help the body fight the tumor.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Washington University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Saint Louis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11188987 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This research focuses on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and compares the immune environments of primary tumors and metastatic lesions in different organs from a patient's perspective. The team will use animal models and samples from PDAC patients to study how dendritic cells develop and prime T cells, including changes that start in the bone marrow. Researchers will run human correlative studies alongside lab work to see whether findings in animals match immune changes in people with metastatic disease. The work aims to explain why many immunotherapies fail in metastatic PDAC and to point toward ways to restore dendritic cell function to improve treatment responses.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be people with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, especially those with metastatic disease who can provide clinical data or tissue/blood samples for correlative studies.
Not a fit: People without pancreatic cancer, or patients with early-stage localized PDAC unlikely to provide metastatic samples, are unlikely to directly benefit from this specific project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal new ways to boost immune responses in people with metastatic pancreatic cancer and help make immunotherapy work better.
How similar studies have performed: Previous animal experiments and human correlative studies show dendritic cells are critical for immunotherapy response, but single-agent immunotherapies have so far not produced clear clinical benefit in metastatic PDAC.
Where this research is happening
Saint Louis, United States
- Washington University — Saint Louis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Denardo, David G — Washington University
- Study coordinator: Denardo, David G
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.