Immune cells in melanoma and pregnancy to guide new immunotherapies
Official title: Comparing NK cell profiles within melanoma tumors and pregnancy: Implications for novel immunotherapies
Funded at University of Colorado Denver · NIH-11238068 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project compares the types and behavior of NK immune cells found in melanoma tumors and in pregnancy to find clues that could help people with melanoma get better immunotherapy and fewer side effects.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Colorado Denver NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Aurora, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | December 1, 2024 |
| Project end | November 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $181,398 |
| NIH project number | 5R21CA297312-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11238068 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with melanoma who can provide tumor samples or who are being considered for adjuvant or first-line immune checkpoint therapy.
✕Less likely to help
People without melanoma or those unable to provide tumor tissue are unlikely to directly benefit from this specific project in the near term.
What this research studies
From my perspective as a patient, the researchers will compare NK cells taken from melanoma tumors with NK cells from the placenta during pregnancy to see which features let cells invade tissue and avoid the immune system. They will examine how NK cell receptors (including KIR genes) control these behaviors and how that links to tumor invasiveness and response to immune checkpoint drugs. The work uses human tumor and placental tissue samples plus laboratory profiling of cell types and receptor patterns. Results may point to markers to predict who benefits from immunotherapy and to new targets for treatments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help predict which melanoma patients will respond to immune checkpoint therapy and identify new NK cell targets for treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies have shown NK cell and placentation-related mechanisms can be used by cancers, but directly comparing decidual NK cells to tumor NK cells to predict immunotherapy response in melanoma is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Colorado Denver
Aurora, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Norman, Paul John — University of Colorado Denver
- Study coordinator: Norman, Paul John
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Investigating immune cell behavior in melanoma and pregnancy for new cancer treatments
This study is looking at how certain immune cells work in melanoma tumors and during pregnancy to help find better treatments for melanoma, aiming to discover signs that show which patients might respond well to specific cancer therapies.
-
How air pollution during pregnancy affects fetal growth over time
This study looks at how air pollution affects the growth of babies in the womb during pregnancy, using ultrasound images to track changes over time, and it aims to help expectant parents understand when their babies might be most at risk from pollution.
-
Postoperative Pain Guidelines for Pregnancy: Safer, Patient-Centered Opioid Use
We’re creating patient-friendly guidelines to help doctors manage pain after delivery and surgery in pregnant people, aiming to reduce opioid overuse and improve safety.
-
HPV and pregnancy risk: a big study following 1,280 pregnancies
A large pregnancy study at UTMB looks at whether human papillomavirus (HPV) during pregnancy is linked to problems like preterm birth.
-
Understanding how where you live and personal factors during pregnancy affect a child’s risk for obesity and metabolic problems
This project looks at how neighborhood conditions and individual factors during pregnancy may influence a child’s risk of obesity and metabolic health as they grow.
-
Blocking cancer-causing cMYC tricks after pregnancy changes in the breast
Researchers are testing how pregnancy and aging reshape the breast before cancer risk, using patient-reinformed models to see if it changes how dangerous cMYC signals behave.
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.