Platelet-aided immunotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer
Official title: Improving the platelet-mediated immune checkpoint inhibitor delivery for treating triple-negative breast cancer
Funded at University of Wisconsin-Madison · NIH-11252603 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are using platelets to carry PD-L1 blocking drugs directly to triple-negative breast tumors to help the immune system attack them.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Wisconsin-Madison NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Madison, United States) |
| Project start | January 10, 2025 |
| Project end | December 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $639,124 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA288851-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11252603 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with triple-negative breast cancer could potentially benefit in the future, especially those facing high risk of local recurrence or limited options from standard therapies.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with other breast cancer subtypes or those seeking an available clinical treatment now are unlikely to benefit during the current preclinical phase.
What this research studies
This project improves a therapy that loads immune checkpoint blockers onto platelets so they concentrate at tumor sites and release drugs when platelets activate. The team will use mouse models of triple-negative breast cancer to increase platelet delivery by causing small, local blood clots at the tumor and by reducing immune-suppressing tumor macrophages. They plan to test peritumoral or systemic delivery of a truncated tissue factor (tTF-RGD) to attract the platelet carriers and combine this with approaches that deplete tumor-associated macrophages. The work builds on prior success in post-surgical tumor models and aims to make the approach work better against intact, non-immunogenic tumors.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could deliver immune therapy more directly to triple-negative breast tumors and improve immune-driven tumor control.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier animal studies of platelet-based delivery and PD-L1 blockade have shown promising results in limiting tumor recurrence after surgery, but clinical benefit in people has not yet been established.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hu, Quanyin — University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Study coordinator: Hu, Quanyin
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Improving delivery of immune therapy for triple-negative breast cancer
This study is looking at a new way to help patients with triple-negative breast cancer by using platelets to deliver immune treatments directly to the tumor, which could make the treatment work better and help the body fight the cancer more effectively.
-
Genomic study to understand how genetics and epigenetics shape triple-negative breast cancer in African ancestry
This study looks at how inherited genes and gene activity affect triple-negative breast cancer in people of African ancestry to better understand why outcomes can be worse.
-
Co-Targeting IL-6 and CDK4/6 to Prevent TNBC in Women Veterans
A study aims to block two cancer-promoting pathways (IL-6 and CDK4/6) to prevent or reduce progression of triple-negative breast cancer in women veterans.
-
Linking heavy metal exposure to a tougher breast cancer type (TNBC)
Aimed at understanding how heavy metals like cadmium might trigger a dangerous breast cancer type (TNBC) in people, especially those with BRCA1 risk, to identify possible future treatment strategies.
-
Dormancy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: How Liver and Skin Metastases Go Quiet or Reactivate
Researchers will study how dormant cancer cells in liver and skin metastases of triple-negative breast cancer become quiescent or wake up, using organ-on-chip models and single-cell analysis to map chromatin states.
-
Rac-enhanced CAR-Macrophages against TNBC
A new cell therapy approach uses engineered macrophages with a CAR and Rac2 activation to target and kill triple-negative breast cancer cells expressing CSPG4.
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.