Sequencing targeted drugs and immunotherapy to improve cancer treatment
Official title: Spatiotemporal Tumor Analytics for Guiding Sequential Targeted-Inhibitor: Immunotherapy Combinations (ST-Analytics)
Funded at Institute for Systems Biology · NIH-11191397 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This program develops tools to find the best order and timing of targeted drugs and immunotherapy so people with melanoma and other cancers might get stronger, longer-lasting responses.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Institute for Systems Biology NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | September 22, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $2,564,339 |
| NIH project number | 5U54CA274509-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11191397 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with melanoma, especially those receiving MAPK-targeted therapies, and patients with other solid tumors being considered for combined targeted and immune approaches would be the most relevant candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose cancers are not driven by pathways targeted in this program or who are not eligible for targeted inhibitors or immunotherapy are less likely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
Researchers will combine analysis of past patient treatment records with laboratory tumor experiments in mice to learn how the timing and order of targeted inhibitors and immunotherapy affect tumor control. They will build spatiotemporal tumor analytics and computational models to predict which treatment sequences—for example giving immune checkpoint blockade before MAPK inhibitors—reduce resistance and improve clearance of metastases including in the brain. Promising schedules will be tested in syngeneic murine melanoma models and refined with biological and computational feedback. The center will use these results to design practical clinical trial strategies and optimize dosing, sequence, and timing.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could produce treatment schedules that make combined targeted and immune therapies more effective and reduce the chance of drug resistance.
How similar studies have gone: Retrospective clinical analyses and animal studies have suggested benefit from sequencing (such as immune priming before MAPK inhibition in melanoma), but randomized clinical trial proof is still limited.
Where this research is happening
-
Institute for Systems Biology
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Heath, James R. — Institute for Systems Biology
- Study coordinator: Heath, James R.
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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.