Solid-state nanopore tools to analyze vital sugars for bladder cancer care
Official title: Development of solid-state nanopore technology for improved glycosaminoglycan analytics
Funded at Wake Forest University Health Sciences · NIH-11412621 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new technology uses tiny solid-state nanopores to measure glycosaminoglycans, like HA, from small patient samples to help understand bladder cancer biology.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wake Forest University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Winston-Salem, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2020 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $370,864 |
| NIH project number | 5R01GM134226-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11412621 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with bladder cancer or related biological samples may be eligible for analysis to inform their care.
✕Less likely to help
The study involves lab development and sample processing; individuals without bladder cancer or related samples may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project builds on a nanopore platform to quantify hyaluronic acid and other glycosaminoglycans, linking molecule size to disease biology. It will add a microfluidic system to extract HA from real biological samples and run the analysis in one self-contained setup. The team also aims to improve the HA extraction method and connect it to inflammation markers, potentially revealing disease-relevant patterns in bladder cancer.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients with bladder cancer could benefit from better molecular measurements that inform diagnosis or monitoring.
How similar studies have gone: Similar nanopore approaches have shown promise in characterizing biomolecules, but applying it specifically to GAGs in bladder cancer is a newer application.
Where this research is happening
-
Wake Forest University Health Sciences
Winston-Salem, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hall, Adam Roger — Wake Forest University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Hall, Adam Roger
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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.