Living tumor model and tissue bank for diverse cancers

PDX Core

['FUNDING_OTHER'] · VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY · NIH-11128348

Creating and sharing living tumor models made from patients—especially people from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups with advanced cancer—to help create better treatments.

Quick facts

Phase['FUNDING_OTHER']
Study typeNih_funding
SexAll
SponsorVIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY (nih funded)
Locations1 site (RICHMOND, UNITED STATES)
Trial IDNIH-11128348 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this research studies

This project collects patients' tumor tissue and grows it as living models (patient-derived xenografts) that preserve the cancer's original biology. The PDX Core will expand and store these tumors, link them to clinical, genomic, and ancestry information, and maintain a searchable specimen database. The effort prioritizes increasing samples from Black and other underrepresented groups and from advanced or aggressive cancers. Researchers in the network will use the banked models to test therapies and study differences in disease behavior by ancestry.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with advanced or treatment-resistant tumors who can provide excess tumor tissue from surgery or biopsy, especially patients from Black and other underrepresented racial or ethnic groups.

Not a fit: Patients without available tumor tissue, those with early-stage cancers who cannot provide samples, or those seeking direct personal treatment benefit are unlikely to gain direct benefit from participating.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this resource could speed development of treatments that are more effective for cancers common or more aggressive in underrepresented populations.

How similar studies have performed: Patient-derived xenografts are a well-established method for modeling human tumors, but assembling a large, ancestry-linked PDX collection focused on minority groups is less common.

Where this research is happening

RICHMOND, UNITED STATES

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.

View on NIH RePORTER →

Conditions: Advanced Cancer

Last reviewed 2026-05-15 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.