Improving melanoma treatment by targeting cell death pathways
Re-engineering differential regulation of ferroptosis in melanoma microenvironment
This project looks for new ways to make melanoma cancer cells die while protecting the body's immune cells that fight cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11125887 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Melanoma is an aggressive skin cancer, and many patients do not respond to current immunotherapies, needing other options. This research explores a new way to kill cancer cells, called ferroptosis, which has shown promise against melanoma cells that resist current treatments. The challenge is to understand how to make sure this cell death only affects cancer cells and not the helpful immune cells within the tumor. By understanding these processes, scientists hope to design smarter and more effective treatments for melanoma.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This foundational laboratory research focuses on understanding disease mechanisms and is not directly recruiting patients for a clinical trial at this stage.
Not a fit: Patients whose melanoma responds well to existing immunotherapies may not directly benefit from this specific new approach initially.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to new, more effective treatments for melanoma, especially for patients whose cancer does not respond to current immunotherapies.
How similar studies have performed: The discovery of ferroptosis as a cancer treatment vulnerability is relatively new, making this approach novel and still in early stages of understanding its full therapeutic potential.
Where this research is happening
Pittsburgh, United States
- University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bunimovich, Yuri — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Bunimovich, Yuri
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.