Nanoparticle therapy to boost immune attack on metastatic breast cancer
Official title: Translational Combinations of Nanocarriers and Blockers for Metastatic Breast Cancer
Funded at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign · NIH-11285417 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Nanoparticles plus blockers deliver immune-activating drugs to suppressive tumor macrophages in metastatic breast cancer to help checkpoint inhibitor treatments work better.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Champaign, United States) |
| Project start | March 8, 2024 |
| Project end | February 28, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $570,816 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA288207-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11285417 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be people with metastatic breast cancer, particularly those considering or receiving immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment such as for triple-negative disease.
✕Less likely to help
People without metastatic breast cancer or those with cancers unlikely driven by immunosuppressive tumor macrophages are unlikely to benefit from this approach.
What this research studies
Metastatic breast cancer is the main cause of breast cancer deaths, and current treatments can be ineffective or very toxic. This work develops tiny drug-carrying particles that are guided to immunosuppressive macrophages inside metastatic tumors while avoiding capture by the liver and spleen. Researchers test combinations of these nanoparticles and blockers in mouse models and combine them with immune checkpoint inhibitors to shrink tumors. The goal is to trigger stronger local immune responses in tumors while reducing dangerous side effects from systemic immune stimulation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could make immunotherapy effective for more people with metastatic breast cancer while lowering systemic side effects.
How similar studies have gone: Related nanoparticle and macrophage-targeting approaches have shown promise in animal studies, but this specific strategy of blocking liver/spleen uptake and combining with checkpoint inhibitors is novel and not yet tested in humans.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Smith, Andrew Michael — University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Study coordinator: Smith, Andrew Michael
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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.