Predicting radiation-related heart damage with patient stem cells
Modeling Susceptibility to Radiation Therapy-induced Cardiotoxicity Using Cell Village iPSCs
['FUNDING_R01'] · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · NIH-11231257
Using stem cells made from people who had cancer, researchers seek to understand why some patients' hearts are harmed by radiation and to find existing drugs that might protect them.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | STANFORD UNIVERSITY (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (STANFORD, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11231257 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
If I donate blood or tissue, the team will turn my cells into stem cells and then into heart and blood-vessel cells to see how radiation affects them. They'll compare molecular and genetic differences across 250 donors (mostly cancer patients) to find why some people are more sensitive to radiation-related heart damage. The project also uses engineered human heart tissues and mouse models for deeper testing and runs a large screen of 5,000 FDA-approved drugs to find ones that reduce damage in the lab-grown tissues. Results could link genetic risk markers to medicines that might be repurposed to protect patients' hearts during radiation therapy.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people treated with radiation for cancer (especially breast cancer) who are willing to donate blood or tissue samples for stem cell generation.
Not a fit: People without a history of cancer radiation exposure or those seeking immediate clinical treatment (rather than sample donation) are unlikely to get direct benefit from this lab-focused work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify genetic markers of risk and point to already-approved drugs that reduce heart damage from radiation.
How similar studies have performed: Related studies have used patient iPSCs and engineered heart tissues to model treatment-related heart injury and test drugs, but combining a large, genetically diverse donor set with multi-omics and a 5,000-drug repurposing screen is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
STANFORD, UNITED STATES
- STANFORD UNIVERSITY — STANFORD, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: WU, JOSEPH C. — STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- Study coordinator: WU, JOSEPH C.
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 below.
Conditions: Breast Cancer, Breast Cancer Cell