Improving urine-based cancer cell cultures to monitor bladder cancer treatment and recurrence
Official title: Evaluation of Pre-Analytical Factors of Urine Samples for Urine Cancer Cell Cultures (UCCC) --A Non-Invasive Biomarker – in Monitoring Response and Recurrence of Bladder Cancer
Funded at Ohio State University · NIH-11172635 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests whether collecting and handling urine the right way lets doctors grow bladder cancer cells from urine to help monitor treatment response and catch recurrence for people with bladder cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ohio State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Columbus, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 6, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,080,844 |
| NIH project number | 4U01CA278927-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11172635 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with a history of bladder cancer who are under surveillance for recurrence or are receiving chemotherapy or targeted therapy.
✕Less likely to help
People without bladder cancer or whose tumors do not shed detectable cells into urine may not benefit from urine-based culture testing.
What this research studies
If you have or had bladder cancer, researchers will use a method called conditional reprogramming to grow cancer cells from your urine as a non-invasive biomarker. The team will study how collection, storage, and transport of urine affect the success and reliability of these urine cancer cell cultures (UCCC). Labs that already create UCCCs will work with clinics to standardize procedures so results are reproducible across centers. The goal is to make the urine test dependable enough to use alongside or instead of frequent cystoscopies and to help predict which therapies will work for individual patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could reduce the need for frequent cystoscopies and provide a living urine-based biomarker that helps detect recurrence and guide treatment choices.
How similar studies have gone: Related work using conditional reprogramming has produced urine-derived cancer cultures with high success rates and several centers are now validating the approach in clinical settings.
Where this research is happening
-
Ohio State University
Columbus, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Liu, Xuefeng — Ohio State University
- Study coordinator: Liu, Xuefeng
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Cruciferous vegetable program to lower bladder cancer recurrence
This project will see if a simple program to boost cruciferous vegetable intake can help people with early-stage (non-muscle invasive) bladder cancer lower the chance their cancer comes back or gets worse.
-
Multi-marker urine test to detect bladder cancer coming back
This project offers a urine test that looks for multiple cancer markers to help people treated for bladder cancer spot recurrence sooner.
-
Using cruciferous vegetables to help prevent bladder cancer from coming back
This study is looking at whether eating more cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli and kale, can help people with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer lower their chances of the cancer coming back or getting worse, and it’s designed for patients who want to try a natural way to support their health through diet.
-
Non-invasive urine tests for monitoring bladder cancer
This study is testing a new, easier way to check for bladder cancer using urine samples, which could help find out if the cancer comes back and how well treatments are working, making it more comfortable for patients than older methods.
-
A new urine test to detect bladder cancer recurrence
This study is testing a new, easy urine test called BCDx that uses advanced technology to check for signs of bladder cancer without needing any invasive procedures, making it a friendlier option for patients who need to monitor their condition.
-
Keloid recurrence study using multi-omics in diverse patients
A research effort will look at why keloids come back after surgery, especially in African American patients, using comprehensive molecular data from patient samples.
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.