Preventing spread of skin and mouth squamous cell cancers to the lung
Official title: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Targets of SCC Metastasis
Funded at VA Northern California Health Care Sys · NIH-11130943 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at why squamous cell cancers of the skin and mouth spread to the lungs and seeks new targets to stop that spread for people with these cancers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | VA Northern California Health Care Sys NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Mather, United States) |
| Project start | October 1, 2016 |
| Project end | June 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| NIH project number | 5I01BX003232-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11130943 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be people with skin or oral squamous cell carcinoma—especially those at higher risk for lung metastasis or willing to donate tumor samples for research.
✕Less likely to help
People with cancers other than squamous cell carcinoma or patients seeking immediate clinical treatments may not directly benefit from this preclinical research.
What this research studies
Researchers use genetically engineered mouse models that closely mimic human skin and oral squamous cell carcinomas to study how tumors travel to the lung. They grow tumor cell lines from these models and compare cancers that do and do not metastasize while focusing on cancer stem cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts in different immune environments. The team examines changes in the extracellular matrix and gene expression to find markers and pathways that drive metastasis and to test ways to block those pathways.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify treatments that prevent or reduce lung metastases and improve survival for patients with skin or oral squamous cell carcinoma.
How similar studies have gone: Prior animal studies suggest targeting cancer stem cells and tumor fibroblasts can reduce metastasis, but the spontaneous SCC-to-lung metastasis models and specific targets here are relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
VA Northern California Health Care Sys
Mather, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wang, Xiao-Jing — VA Northern California Health Care Sys
- Study coordinator: Wang, Xiao-Jing
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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.