How the REST gene affects treatment and resistance in small cell lung cancer
Interrogating roles for REST in small cell lung cancer therapy response and resistance
This project looks at whether changing levels of a gene called REST can make small cell lung cancer more visible to the immune system and help treatments work better for people with SCLC.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11228763 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will change REST levels in lab-grown cancer cells and genetically engineered mouse models to see how tumors shift between neuroendocrine and less‑neuroendocrine states. They will use RNA sequencing and CUT&RUN to find which genes REST controls and how those changes affect immune signals and treatment response. The team will compare mice and engineered cell lines to human tumor data to build a model of the low‑neuroendocrine, immune‑inflamed SCLC subtype. The goal is to identify pathways that could make chemotherapy or immunotherapy more effective for some patients.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with small cell lung cancer—particularly those with low‑neuroendocrine tumors or tumors that show high REST activity—would be most relevant to the findings of this work.
Not a fit: Patients with other types of lung cancer (for example non‑small cell lung cancer) or whose tumors lack REST-related biology are unlikely to see direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new ways to make small cell lung cancer more responsive to immunotherapy and delay or prevent treatment resistance.
How similar studies have performed: Adding PD‑L1 inhibitors to chemotherapy has improved outcomes for some SCLC patients, but using REST to change tumor immunogenicity is a newer, mostly preclinical approach with limited prior clinical proof.
Where this research is happening
Seattle, United States
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center — Seattle, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Macpherson, David — Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
- Study coordinator: Macpherson, David
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.