Novel virus therapy to help pancreatic cancer patients fight their disease
Official title: A novel oncolytic virus for pancreatic cancer immunotherapy
Funded at Lsu Health Sciences Center · NIH-11399956 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new oncolytic virus designed to target pancreatic cancer is being developed to help patients by boosting immune response and overcoming treatment resistance.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Lsu Health Sciences Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Orleans, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2017 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $136,819 |
| NIH project number | 5P20GM121288-10 |
| Project ID | NIH-11399956 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with pancreatic cancer that has been treated but remains at risk of progression, or those with tumors that express relevant biomarkers.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with pancreatic cancer who have contraindications to viral therapies or who do not meet the specific trial criteria may not benefit.
What this research studies
This program focuses on a specialized virus that can directly kill pancreatic cancer cells and reprogram the surrounding area to support immune attack. Researchers will engineer a vesicular stomatitis virus backbone to deliver enzymes that modify the tumor environment, aiming to convert a “cold” tumor into a “hot” one that the immune system can recognize. The work will combine virotherapy with immune approaches to create a multi-modal treatment strategy that could be added to existing care. If successful, it could lead to more durable responses and better survival for patients who currently have limited options.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could experience better tumor control and longer survival through a new, multi-pronged treatment approach.
How similar studies have gone: Early studies of oncolytic viruses show promise in other cancers, but applying this approach to pancreatic cancer is still largely experimental.
Where this research is happening
-
Lsu Health Sciences Center
New Orleans, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Moaven, Omeed — Lsu Health Sciences Center
- Study coordinator: Moaven, Omeed
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Understanding how T cell receptors affect pancreatic cancer immunotherapy
A cancer research grant is exploring how specific T cells recognize pancreatic cancer and how that recognition might predict or improve responses to immunotherapy.
-
Recombinant IL-33 Immunotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer
A new immunotherapy approach using recombinant IL-33 aims to help people with pancreatic cancer by activating immune cells inside tumors to fight the cancer.
-
Blocking VIP signaling to help the immune system fight pancreatic cancer
This grant tests a new approach aimed at helping the immune system attack pancreatic cancer by blocking a signaling pathway that's dampening immune responses in tumors.
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Engineering smart nanoparticles to help the immune system fight pancreatic cancer
Aims to use tiny, specially designed particles to deliver cancer-fighting drugs and immune-boosting signals to pancreatic tumors to help the body attack the cancer.
-
TROP2-targeting CAR-NK therapy for pancreatic cancer
This project develops an off-the-shelf natural killer (NK) cell therapy engineered to target the TROP2 protein on pancreatic cancer cells.
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Using the liver to boost immune treatments for pancreatic cancer
This work looks at how the liver's reaction to pancreatic tumors might be used to help immune-based treatments work better for people with pancreatic cancer, especially when cancer has spread to the liver.
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.