In vivo stress-sensing microparticles to study tumor mechanics
Official title: In vivo microparticle sensors to study mechanics during tumor development and differentiation
Funded at University of California, San Francisco · NIH-11605745 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new magnetic stress-sensing microparticle lets researchers watch how tumor tissues deform and change shape in real time, from small 3D cell clusters to live tumor models.
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 start | September 1, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $592,108 |
| NIH project number | 1R56EB037091-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11605745 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals with cancers where tumor mechanics are relevant, such as solid tumors in which mechanical cues affect progression.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with cancers where mechanical factors are less central to progression may see limited benefit.
What this research studies
This grant supports creating tiny, magnetic sensors embedded in deformable polymers to track tissue mechanics as tumors grow and undergo changes like EMT. Researchers will first build sensor-containing spheroids, then use animal tumor models to monitor how mechanical forces evolve in vivo. The goal is to gain real-time, single-particle resolution data on how tumor mechanics influence development and progression. Insights from this work could reveal new ways to influence tumor biology by altering mechanical cues. The approach could be adaptable to other organs to monitor tissue function as well.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could benefit from a deeper understanding of how mechanical forces influence tumor growth, potentially guiding new therapies that target tumor mechanics.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work in tissue mechanics has shown the value of mechanical measurements, and this project extends those concepts with real-time, single-particle sensing in vivo.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jun, Young-Wook — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Jun, Young-Wook
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
How cancer cells use exosomes to evade the immune system
This study is looking at how cancer cells use tiny bubbles called exosomes to hide proteins that can keep your immune system from fighting the tumor, and by figuring this out, the researchers hope to help doctors understand why some people respond well to cancer treatments while others don’t, ultimately aiming to creat
-
Reducing harm from smoking using electronic cigarettes
This study is looking at whether using electronic cigarettes can be a safer option for people who smoke traditional cigarettes, by comparing the health effects and exposure to harmful substances between the two.
-
Understanding how knee pain and knee obesity and muscle loss affect knee osteoarthritis
This project looks at how knee swelling, excess knee fat, and muscle loss relate to pain and structural changes in knee osteoarthritis in adults.
-
Cutaneous opioid signals in skin inflammation
A mentor-identified clinician-researcher at UCSF is studying how natural skin opioids regulate itch and pain in inflammatory skin conditions like eczema and hidradenitis, with plans to map where these opioids come from and how they affect skin nerves.
-
Pooling international data to understand long-term bisphosphonate use and atypical femur fractures
This project combines large patient datasets from multiple countries to understand how long-term bisphosphonate use relates to rare hip and thigh bone fractures, helping doctors and patients make safer treatment choices.
-
Airway cell and immune cell talks in lung transplant failure
This grant tests how airway cells and immune cells interact to drive chronic rejection after lung transplant, with the goal of slowing or preventing scar-like damage.
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.