Oral theranostic platform to treat advanced bladder cancer
Official title: BCCMA: Translational research to improve the care of advanced bladder cancer
Funded at VA Boston Health Care System · NIH-11399498 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A translational project aims to develop an oral, cancer-targeted therapy that combines immune activation, imaging, and therapy for advanced bladder cancer to improve effectiveness and reduce side effects.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | VA Boston Health Care System NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2023 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2027 |
| NIH project number | 5I01BX006075-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11399498 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with advanced bladder cancer who are eligible for experimental therapies and can tolerate investigational oral biologics and photodynamic components.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with non-advanced bladder cancer, those unable to tolerate experimental therapies, or those with contraindications to imaging/photodynamic components may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project focuses on bladder cancer that has spread or become advanced. Researchers plan to use an oral therapy that delivers an immune-activating protein and a light-activated agent specifically to bladder tumors, aided by a cancer-targeted Salmonella organism. The approach includes photodynamic diagnosis and therapy, with the potential to visualize tumors and destroy them while shaping the immune response locally. The goal is to provide a convenient, lower-cost option that minimizes systemic toxicity compared with current intravenous immunotherapies. The research is conducted in collaboration with VA Boston Healthcare System to translate these ideas toward clinical use for patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients with advanced bladder cancer could have a more convenient, potentially less toxic treatment that helps visualize and destroy tumors.
How similar studies have gone: Previous cancer theranostic approaches show promise but this oral, Salmonella-delivered, locally expressed ICI strategy is novel and exploratory.
Where this research is happening
-
VA Boston Health Care System
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pan, Chong-Xian — VA Boston Health Care System
- Study coordinator: Pan, Chong-Xian
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Population modeling to reduce bladder cancer burden
Aimed at predicting and guiding effective, population-based ways to prevent and control bladder cancer.
-
Blocking a new immune checkpoint in bladder cancer
Researchers are trying medicines that block a newly found immune pathway to help people with bladder cancer, especially those whose tumors do not respond to current immunotherapy.
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Nrf2 in T cells and how it could boost immune power against bladder cancer
A small grant will explore how a T-cell protein called Nrf2 affects muscle-invasive bladder cancer and whether targeting it could help patients respond better to immune therapies.
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Understanding why bladder cancer spreads and resists treatment
This grant studies how advanced bladder cancer changes and spreads across the body, aiming to uncover why it’s hard to treat.
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Molecular clues to bladder cancer cell changes and therapy response
This NIH grant looks at how bladder cancer cells change their identity and how that affects response to treatment, with a focus on aggressive neuroendocrine variants.
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Repurposing spironolactone to treat bladder cancer inside the bladder
Aims to repurpose spironolactone as an intravesical treatment for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer to help prevent recurrence and progression.
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.