How tumor genes and surrounding cells help esophageal cancer resist chemoradiation
Official title: Role of genomic and microenvironment factors in conferring acquired resistance to ferroptosis to chemoradiation in esophageal adenocarcinoma
Funded at University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr · NIH-11172420 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at tumor biopsies from people with esophageal adenocarcinoma getting chemoradiation to find cellular changes that let cancer survive treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $278,298 |
| NIH project number | 5U54CA274220-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11172420 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People diagnosed with esophageal adenocarcinoma who are scheduled for chemoradiation and can undergo tumor biopsies before and during treatment.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with other esophageal cancer types, those not receiving chemoradiation, or those who cannot have repeat biopsies are unlikely to be eligible or directly benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers will collect tumor biopsies before treatment and again partway through chemoradiation to see how cancer cells and nearby immune and stromal cells change. They will use single-cell transcriptome profiling to read gene activity in individual cells, focusing on pathways linked to ferroptosis, a type of cell death triggered by therapy. Findings from patient samples will be compared with laboratory models to link specific genomic and microenvironment features to acquired treatment resistance. The goal is to identify cell types and signals that allow tumors to survive so future tests or therapies can target those mechanisms.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could help doctors predict which tumors will become resistant to chemoradiation and point to new ways to prevent or reverse that resistance.
How similar studies have gone: Single-cell profiling has revealed treatment-resistance mechanisms in other cancers, but focusing on ferroptosis-related changes in esophageal adenocarcinoma is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr
Houston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lin, Steven Hsesheng — University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr
- Study coordinator: Lin, Steven Hsesheng
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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.