Immune monitoring and biospecimen support for brain tumor treatments
Immune Monitoring and Biospecimen Core
This effort collects and analyzes tumor and blood samples to help create new treatments that can cross the blood-brain barrier for people with glioblastoma.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11173590 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join a linked clinical trial, the team will collect tumor tissue and blood samples and run advanced lab tests to learn how immune cells interact with brain tumors. The core at University of California San Francisco, working with Northwestern, processes samples from patients and preclinical models and performs tests like single-cell RNA sequencing and multiplex immunofluorescence. They also provide central pathology review and strict quality control so samples are handled the same way across sites. The work supports clinical trials of drugs designed to reach tumors inside the brain and helps connect lab findings to patient treatments.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with glioblastoma or other malignant brain tumors who are enrolled in related clinical trials and agree to provide tumor tissue and blood samples.
Not a fit: People without brain tumors, those not enrolled in linked clinical trials, or those who decline biospecimen collection would not directly benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: By ensuring high-quality sample collection and advanced immune testing, this core could speed development of better-targeted therapies that reach brain tumors.
How similar studies have performed: Immune-monitoring approaches have informed treatments in other cancers, but applying them specifically to agents that must cross the blood-brain barrier for glioblastoma is still being developed.
Where this research is happening
San Francisco, United States
- University of California, San Francisco — San Francisco, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Phillips, Joanna — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Phillips, Joanna
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.