New treatments targeting B7-H3 for advanced prostate cancer
Official title: Novel Approaches Targeting B7-H3 in Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer
Funded at University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr · NIH-11245738 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Testing whether therapies that target the B7-H3 protein can help men with castration-resistant prostate cancer, especially tumors with PTEN and TP53 changes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2023 |
| Project end | December 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $588,065 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA275990-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11245738 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer whose tumors have PTEN and TP53 deletions or mutations and high B7-H3 expression.
✕Less likely to help
People whose prostate cancers do not overexpress B7-H3 or lack PTEN/TP53 defects are less likely to benefit from B7-H3-targeted approaches.
What this research studies
This project focuses on a protein called B7-H3 that is often overproduced in aggressive, treatment-resistant prostate cancers. Researchers will use genetically engineered mouse models that mimic PTEN/TP53-deficient tumors, along with laboratory and immune-profiling techniques, to see how B7-H3 shapes the tumor environment. The team aims to develop biomarker-guided B7-H3-targeted therapies (for example antibody-based approaches) and understand which tumors are most likely to respond. Findings will guide future treatments offered to patients whose tumors show these specific molecular changes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could provide a new targeted treatment option for people with PTEN/TP53-deficient castration-resistant prostate cancer and improve outcomes for this hard-to-treat subgroup.
How similar studies have gone: Targeting B7-H3 is an emerging strategy with encouraging preclinical data and early clinical signals, but biomarker-guided therapies remain largely unproven in late-stage trials.
Where this research is happening
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University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr
Houston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhao, Di — University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr
- Study coordinator: Zhao, Di
Related research
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Understanding how aggressive cell states emerge in castration-resistant prostate cancer
A research project aims to uncover the hidden cell states that help prostate cancer resist standard therapy and how these states arise early in tumor development.
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Enhancer RNA CYP11A1-eRNA in castration-resistant prostate cancer
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Targeted Immunostimulatory Dual Drug Conjugates for Heterogeneous Metastatic Prostate Cancer
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Androgen Receptor Action in Prostate Cancer that Stops Responding to Therapy
This grant supports research to understand why certain prostate cancers stop responding to AR-targeted therapies and to find new ways to target them.
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Hyperactive methylation in a hard-to-treat prostate cancer subtype
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Therapeutic Targeting of Lineage Plasticity in Advanced Prostate Cancer
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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.