Predicting which cervical cancers will respond to radiation using genes and scans
Integrating multi-omics, imaging, and longitudinal data to predict radiation response in cervical cancer
This project combines tumor gene activity and PET scan features to help tell who is likely to benefit from standard chemoradiation for locally advanced cervical cancer so treatment can be personalized.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Washington University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Saint Louis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11170707 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would have a pre-treatment tumor biopsy and PET scan analyzed for gene activity and detailed image features, and those data would be linked to your treatment outcomes over time. Researchers will group patients by whether cancer has spread to lymph nodes and build prediction models that use both molecular and imaging signals. Promising genes will be checked at the RNA and protein levels in tumor tissue to confirm findings. The hope is to find markers that identify radiation-resistant cancers earlier so different therapies can be offered sooner.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with locally advanced cervical cancer who have pre-treatment tumor biopsy and PET imaging, including known lymph node status, are the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Patients with very early-stage cervical cancer not treated with chemoradiation or those without available pre-treatment biopsy or PET data are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could identify patients unlikely to respond to standard chemoradiation so they can be offered alternative or intensified treatment earlier.
How similar studies have performed: Prior work by this team showed that combining genomic and imaging data can improve risk grouping, but this broader multi-omics radiogenomic approach is relatively new and still requires validation.
Where this research is happening
Saint Louis, United States
- Washington University — Saint Louis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhang, Jin — Washington University
- Study coordinator: Zhang, Jin
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.