Improving cell-based melanoma treatment affected by antibiotic-related gut imbalance
Official title: Improvement of cellular immunotherapy during dysbiosis- Resubmission
Funded at Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis · NIH-11211211 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Working to make cell-based immunotherapy work better for people with advanced melanoma whose gut bacteria were disrupted by antibiotics.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Little Rock, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2021 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $75,787 |
| NIH project number | 3R01CA245083-05S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11211211 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with advanced melanoma who are receiving or may receive cell-based immunotherapy, particularly those who have recently taken antibiotics.
✕Less likely to help
People with early-stage melanoma who do not need immunotherapy or patients with non-melanoma cancers are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
You will learn how antibiotics that change gut bacteria (dysbiosis) can weaken the immune system and make cell-based melanoma treatments less effective. The team studies melanoma models and tumor samples to see how dysbiosis lowers ICAM-1, a molecule that helps immune cells enter tumors. They will test strategies to restore ICAM-1 and boost anti-tumor immune activity so more people respond to cellular immunotherapy. The work combines lab experiments and tumor-focused approaches with the goal of translating findings toward therapies that could help patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could raise the number of melanoma patients who respond to cellular immunotherapies, especially after antibiotic use.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have linked the gut microbiome to responses to cancer immunotherapies, but applying those findings specifically to cellular immunotherapy and reversing ICAM-1 suppression is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis
Little Rock, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dings, Ruud P.m. — Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis
- Study coordinator: Dings, Ruud P.m.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Improving immune cell therapy for melanoma after antibiotic-related gut changes
This work seeks ways to help cellular immunotherapy work better for people with melanoma whose gut bacteria have been disrupted by antibiotics.
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How gut bacteria affect cancer treatment effectiveness
This study is looking at how changes in gut bacteria caused by antibiotics might affect the success of cancer treatments for melanoma, and it's especially for patients with advanced melanoma who have taken antibiotics.
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Microbial Dysbiosis and Its Role in Pancreatic Cancer
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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.