Melanoma spread and therapy resistance in aging: decoding stress signals and gut microbes
Official title: Rewired Signaling at the Nexus of Melanoma Metastasis and Resistance
Funded at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center · NIH-11378346 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project aims to understand how aging changes melanoma's response to treatment by studying key stress signals inside tumors and the gut bacteria that shape anti-tumor immunity.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cedars-Sinai Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $917,652 |
| NIH project number | 5R35CA283706-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11378346 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with melanoma who are not limited by age or who have age-related differences in immune or metabolic profiles; results may be relevant to patients experiencing therapy resistance or metastatic risk.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose melanoma biology does not involve the aging-associated pathways studied or who are in early-stage disease unlikely to be affected by microbiome-focused aspects may see little direct benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers will explore how aging affects melanoma by examining tumor-intrinsic stress pathways like NRF2 and ATF4, which can influence therapy response. They will also study how aging alters the gut microbiome and how these changes affect anti-tumor immunity and metastasis. The work will investigate how asparagine synthase and related metabolic processes influence ATF4-driven outcomes and therapy resistance. By linking tumor biology with age-associated gut ecology, the study seeks to identify strategies that could improve treatments for older patients with melanoma.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could inform new approaches to overcome therapy resistance in aging melanoma patients and guide strategies that modulate gut microbiota to boost anti-tumor immunity.
How similar studies have gone: Similar approaches linking aging, tumor signaling, and microbiome effects on cancer immunity have shown promising signals in preclinical models, with ongoing translational exploration.
Where this research is happening
-
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ronai, Zeev a. — Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Ronai, Zeev a.
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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.