Preventing and treating breast cancer spread to the brain and bones
Official title: Targeting brain and bone metastases in metastatic breast cancer for improved patient survival
Funded at University of Tennessee Health Sci Ctr · NIH-11312597 · Data updated 2026-11-12
New brain‑penetrating drug versions and bone‑targeted drug conjugates for people with metastatic breast cancer that has spread to the brain or bones.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Tennessee Health Sci Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Memphis, United States) |
| Project start | April 20, 2023 |
| Project end | March 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $614,894 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA276152-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11312597 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with metastatic breast cancer involving the brain or bones, particularly those with tumors resistant to taxane chemotherapy, would be the intended beneficiaries.
✕Less likely to help
People with early‑stage breast cancer, metastases only in other organs, or those ineligible for future clinical trials are unlikely to benefit directly from this preclinical work.
What this research studies
If your breast cancer has spread to the brain or bones, researchers are working to make improved versions of a drug related to sabizabulin that can reach the brain and to attach drugs to bone‑seeking molecules so they concentrate in bone lesions. The team will chemically optimize a brain‑penetrant scaffold called SB‑216 to make compounds that overcome resistance to common chemotherapy (taxanes). They will also make drug‑bisphosphonate conjugates designed to target and slow bone metastases. These new compounds will be tested in lab cells and animal tumor models to measure brain penetration, anti‑tumor activity, and ability to bypass drug resistance as a step toward future clinical trials.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: This work could produce treatments that better control brain and bone metastases and help patients whose cancers no longer respond to taxane chemotherapy.
How similar studies have gone: Related compound sabizabulin has shown promising activity in preclinical models and some clinical contexts against taxane‑resistant tumors, but the SB‑216 brain‑penetrant analogs and bone‑targeted conjugates are largely novel and remain at the preclinical stage.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Tennessee Health Sci Ctr
Memphis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Li, Wei — University of Tennessee Health Sci Ctr
- Study coordinator: Li, Wei
Related research
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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.