How tissue stiffness helps determine where cancer spreads
A Mechanoimmunological Basis for Metastatic Site Preference
This project looks at whether the stiffness of different tissues makes immune cells more likely to find and kill cancer cells, which could change where tumors grow in the body.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11143158 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient perspective, researchers will study how immune cells called cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cells respond to the physical stiffness of cancer cells and surrounding tissues. They will use laboratory experiments that change cell and tissue mechanics, animal models of metastasis, and analysis of patient-derived samples to link tissue stiffness with immune killing. The team will compare stiff tissues like bone to softer tissues like lung to see if environmental stiffness makes cancer cells more or less vulnerable to immune attack. The goal is to understand whether the physical properties of metastatic sites shape where cancers take hold.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with solid tumors that commonly spread to bone or lung, especially those with existing metastatic disease who can provide tissue or blood samples, would be the most relevant participants.
Not a fit: Patients with blood cancers or those with early-stage tumors unlikely to metastasize would be less likely to see direct benefits from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help predict or shift where cancers spread and point to new ways to prevent or treat metastatic disease.
How similar studies have performed: Laboratory studies already show immune cells respond to target stiffness, but using this idea to explain or change human patterns of metastasis is largely new and unproven.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Huse, Morgan a — Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
- Study coordinator: Huse, Morgan a
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.