New combination immunotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer
Official title: Developing a novel combination immunotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer
Funded at University of Hawaii at Manoa · NIH-11171590 · Data updated 2026-11-12
See if adding a drug that blocks the JNK pathway can help immunotherapy work better for people with triple-negative breast cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Hawaii at Manoa NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Honolulu, United States) |
| Project start | September 18, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $650,749 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA278056-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11171590 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with triple-negative breast cancer, particularly those with metastatic or treatment-resistant disease, would be the main candidates for this approach.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with other types of breast cancer or whose tumors do not show the JNK-related biomarker pattern identified here are unlikely to benefit from this specific strategy.
What this research studies
Researchers will study how a pathway called JNK keeps the tumor environment in a state that shuts down the immune system and test drugs that block JNK together with immune checkpoint therapies. They will analyze tumor tissue and blood from patients to find markers that predict who is most likely to benefit. Laboratory and animal experiments will be used to identify the best drug combinations, and the team will develop tests that could guide future treatment decisions. The work aims to prepare a combination approach and biomarkers for future clinical testing in people with TNBC.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could make immunotherapy work better and for longer in people with triple-negative breast cancer.
How similar studies have gone: Combining immunotherapy with other drugs has helped some patients in other cancer types, but using JNK inhibitors in TNBC is a newer approach with limited clinical testing so far.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Honolulu, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ueno, Naoto T. — University of Hawaii at Manoa
- Study coordinator: Ueno, Naoto T.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Rac-enhanced CAR-Macrophages against TNBC
A new cell therapy approach uses engineered macrophages with a CAR and Rac2 activation to target and kill triple-negative breast cancer cells expressing CSPG4.
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Determinants of Response to DNA-Damaging Radiation and Immunotherapy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
This grant explores why some people with triple-negative breast cancer respond to a combo of radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy and why others don’t, to guide more personalized treatment.
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New immunotherapy combo for hard-to-treat triple-negative breast cancer
Aims to test a combination immunotherapy with JNK inhibitors to improve treatment for people with triple-negative breast cancer.
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Reprogrammed exosome immunotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer
A new treatment approach uses engineered exosomes to stimulate the immune system to fight triple-negative breast cancer in patients.
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Engineered CD4+ T cells targeting KK‑LC‑1 for triple‑negative breast cancer
This project creates engineered CD4+ T cells that recognize the KK‑LC‑1 tumor antigen to help people with HLA‑DR13-positive triple‑negative breast cancer.
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Why some triple-negative breast cancers respond to radiation plus immunotherapy and others resist
This project looks at whether patterns of tumor cell death and immune signals can predict and improve responses to radiation combined with anti-PD1 immunotherapy for people with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer that has spread to lymph nodes.
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.