Reactivating the Rb tumor suppressor in cancers
Project 2: To determine the consequences of activating Rb function in cancer cells
This project is trying to restore the Rb cancer-control protein to learn how cancers that turn off Rb may respond to treatments for people with those tumors.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stanford University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stanford, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11294269 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From my perspective as a patient, researchers are using a new lab model that can switch the Rb protein on and off inside tumors to see what happens when Rb is restored. They will study treated tumors in mice and examine the molecular and structural changes in tumor cells with lab tests and biochemical analyses. The team will also look at related proteins (p107 and p130) to see whether they help suppress tumors when Rb is turned back on. The goal is to connect these lab findings to how cancers in people might respond to drugs that reactivate Rb.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: The findings would be most relevant to patients whose cancers keep the RB1 gene intact but inactivate Rb function, such as some breast and other Rb-wild-type tumors driven by Cyclin D–CDK4/6 activity.
Not a fit: Patients whose tumors have lost or irreversibly mutated the RB1 gene would be unlikely to benefit from approaches that rely on reactivating Rb.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help predict who will benefit from CDK4/6 inhibitor therapies and suggest new ways to restore Rb activity in tumors.
How similar studies have performed: Drugs that inhibit CDK4/6 and indirectly restore Rb activity have shown clinical benefit in some cancers, but directly turning Rb back on and mapping its effects remains relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Stanford, United States
- Stanford University — Stanford, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sage, Julien — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Sage, Julien
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.