Organoid-Immune Cell Models to Test Cholangiocarcinoma Treatments
Official title: Organoid-immune cell culture modeling of therapeutic responses in cholangiocarcinoma
Funded at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · NIH-11296375 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are building patient-derived tumor models that include immune cells to test how cholangiocarcinoma may respond to immune therapies plus chemotherapy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | May 8, 2026 |
| Project end | April 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $628,394 |
| NIH project number | 1R01CA285425-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11296375 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma whose tumor tissue is available for organoid culture and who can provide consent for research use of their tissue.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose tumor tissue cannot be cultured into organoids or who decline participation may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project creates patient-specific organoid models of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma that are grown together with a patient’s own immune and stromal cells. The goal is to recreate the tumor’s genetic makeup and its microenvironment so scientists can screen immune-therapy combinations that might work better for each patient. The work combines organoids with autologous immune components to study treatment responses in a controlled lab setting, with an eye toward guiding future clinical options. It aims to identify mechanisms of resistance to current therapies and to find surrogates that predict who will benefit from immunotherapy combinations.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could personalize immunotherapy choices for cholangiocarcinoma and help design more effective treatment strategies.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical organoid models with immune components have shown promise in predicting treatment responses in some cancers, but direct translation to iCCA remains developing.
Where this research is happening
-
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sia, Daniela — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Sia, Daniela
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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.