Improving how the immune system fights advanced breast cancer by relieving tumor pressure
Official title: Improving anti-tumor immunity in advanced breast cancer by targeting solid stress
Funded at Boston University Medical Campus · NIH-11379056 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A breast cancer treatment study tests whether a common blood pressure drug (losartan) can help immune cells get into tumors and work better with immunotherapy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University Medical Campus NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | June 1, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $505,322 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA284133-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11379056 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Candidates are patients with advanced breast cancer who may benefit from combined vascular normalization and immunotherapy approaches (as a future trial population).
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose tumors do not rely on vessel compression or who cannot tolerate losartan may see limited or no benefit.
What this research studies
This project explores why breast tumors resist immunotherapy by looking at how solid stress squeezes blood vessels and blocks T cell entry. Researchers will image tumors in living models to measure tissue compression and blood vessel function, then test whether losartan can decompress vessels and improve T cell access. They will combine losartan with immunotherapy to see if T cells can better reach and attack cancer cells in primary and lymph node tumors. The work aims to pinpoint mechanisms and optimize a strategy that could make existing therapies more effective for patients with breast cancer.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could experience better responses to immunotherapy through a drug already approved for hypertension.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows that normalizing tumor blood vessels can enhance immune cell entry and improve immunotherapy responses.
Where this research is happening
-
Boston University Medical Campus
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jones, Dennis — Boston University Medical Campus
- Study coordinator: Jones, Dennis
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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.