Immune cells in bladder cancer: predicting who benefits from stronger pre-surgery therapy
Official title: Characterizing the immune infiltrate in muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma
Funded at Ohio State University · NIH-11357654 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant aims to find immune clues in muscle-invasive bladder cancer to identify which patients will best respond to intensified pre-surgery treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Career grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ohio State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Columbus, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | July 4, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $273,561 |
| NIH project number | 5K08CA277016-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11357654 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma who are candidates for neoadjuvant chemotherapy (with or without a checkpoint inhibitor) and subsequent cystectomy.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not eligible for neoadjuvant chemotherapy or those who do not undergo surgical removal may not benefit from this approach.
What this research studies
The project will study tissue samples taken before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, with or without a checkpoint inhibitor, to see how immune cells and other signals change. Using advanced spatial techniques, researchers will map where immune and tumor cells sit and how they relate to treatment response. The goal is to develop biomarkers, like the CD8:FOXP3 balance, that predict who will achieve complete tumor clearance after therapy and who might need a stronger approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could receive more personalized pre-surgical treatment that improves chances of long-term survival.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary data in urothelial cancer and other cancers support immune markers as predictors of therapy response, but more rigorous validation is needed in this exact setting.
Where this research is happening
-
Ohio State University
Columbus, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Collier, Katharine a. — Ohio State University
- Study coordinator: Collier, Katharine a.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Understanding bladder cancer biology to find new biomarkers and therapies
A study at Tuskegee University will look at the molecules inside high-grade bladder cancer to discover new markers and potential treatment targets.
-
Improved 3D guidance for kidney-sparing endoscopic UTUC treatment
A Vanderbilt team is testing a new 3D-guided approach to precisely locate and treat upper tract urothelial cancer during kidney-sparing endoscopic procedures.
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Synergistic immune boost for bladder cancer with EphrinB2 blocker and PD-1 therapy
A phase II trial tests whether a new EphrinB2 blocker (sEphB4-HSA) plus pembrolizumab can help patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer who have EphrinB2 and low Nectin4 to fight their cancer.
-
HER2 PET scans to find HER2 differences and predict response to HER2-targeted therapy in bladder cancer
This project uses a PET scan that lights up HER2 to help show which people with metastatic bladder (urothelial) cancer might benefit from HER2-targeted antibody-drug conjugates.
-
Treating bladder cancer with ARID1A gene changes
This project will develop new treatment approaches for people with bladder cancer whose tumors have changes in the ARID1A gene.
-
IL-12 bladder immune therapy for dogs with invasive bladder cancer
This project gives a sticky IL-12 immune medicine directly into the bladder of pet dogs with invasive bladder cancer to shrink tumors and stimulate immune responses.
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.