How the RORα protein affects breast cancer growth and inflammation
Official title: Roles of RORα in breast cancer development and progression
Funded at Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis · NIH-11479863 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are looking at whether boosting the RORα protein in breast cells can lower harmful oxidative stress and immune inflammation that help breast cancer grow.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Little Rock, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2017 |
| Project end | June 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2022 |
| Award (this year) | $62,602 |
| NIH project number | 7R01CA215095-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11479863 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with breast cancer who are willing to donate tissue or participate in related translational studies would be the most relevant candidates to connect with this research.
✕Less likely to help
Those without breast cancer or patients seeking immediate changes to their current clinical treatment are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this lab-focused project.
What this research studies
This project studies how a protein called RORα keeps breast cells organized and prevents immune cells from invading early tumors. Scientists use lab-grown human mammary cells, a novel 3D co-culture system with macrophages, and mouse tumor models to see how loss of RORα changes cell polarity, metabolism, and inflammation. They measure reactive oxygen species (ROS) and global gene activity using high-throughput metabolic and gene-expression profiling. The goal is to map the steps that link RORα loss to inflammation so new treatments might be designed later.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify new targets to reduce tumor-related inflammation and slow breast cancer progression.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical work, including mouse models, has shown that RORα reduction increases ROS and macrophage infiltration, but translating these findings into human therapies remains novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis
Little Rock, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Xu, Ren — Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis
- Study coordinator: Xu, Ren
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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.