Personalized treatment testing for Black and Hispanic children with advanced cancer in Miami
Official title: Adopting a functional precision medicine approach to reduce cancer disparities in Hispanic and Black children of Miami
Funded at Florida International University · NIH-11367285 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This program uses tumor-based lab tests plus explainable AI to find safer, personalized drug options for children with relapsed, refractory, or rare cancers, focusing on Black and Hispanic kids in Miami.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Florida International University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Miami, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2017 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $359,562 |
| NIH project number | 5U54MD012393-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11367285 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Pediatric patients (children) with relapsed, refractory, or rare cancers—especially Black and Hispanic children in the Miami area who have exhausted standard treatments—are the intended candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Children whose tumors cannot be grown or tested in the lab, or those needing immediate standard-of-care therapy, may not benefit from this program.
What this research studies
If my child enrolls, the team will combine detailed genetic and RNA profiling with high-throughput drug testing on live tumor cells taken from the child to see which drugs the tumor is sensitive to. An explainable AI tool will help interpret the lab results and prioritize treatment options that may work and have lower toxicity. The program aims to give individualized, actionable treatment recommendations for kids who have exhausted standard therapies. The effort also focuses on expanding access for Hispanic and Black children in the Miami area.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could identify effective, lower-toxicity, personalized treatments that improve cancer response and reduce side effects for children who have few standard options left.
How similar studies have gone: Related functional precision medicine and genomic profiling programs have shown promise in identifying actionable treatments, though prospective benefits in relapsed pediatric cancers are still being established.
Where this research is happening
-
Florida International University
Miami, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Azzam, Diana — Florida International University
- Study coordinator: Azzam, Diana
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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.