Stopping breast cancer cells from swallowing nearby support cells to prevent spread
Halting Breast Cancer Metastasis by Blocking Cancer-MSC Engulfment
This work aims to stop breast cancer cells from engulfing nearby mesenchymal stem cells to help prevent the cancer from spreading in people with breast cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11321699 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will use a high-throughput microfluidic platform to pair breast cancer cells with mesenchymal stem cells and observe which cancer cells engulf their neighbors. They will run CRISPR editing screens to find the genes that allow engulfment and test blocking strategies in 3-D cell models and animal experiments. Prior animal data show engulfing cancer cells are more tumorigenic, metastatic, and chemotherapy-resistant, so the team will measure whether stopping engulfment reduces spread and therapy resistance. The goal is to identify molecular targets that could be developed into treatments to prevent or slow metastasis.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This is preclinical work with no current patient enrollment, but patients with metastatic or high-risk breast cancer are the eventual intended beneficiaries of therapies derived from these findings.
Not a fit: Because the project is laboratory and animal focused, patients seeking immediate treatment options or those with early-stage localized disease are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this grant itself.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new ways to prevent or reduce breast cancer metastasis by blocking cancer cell engulfment of supportive cells.
How similar studies have performed: Some cell and animal studies have linked cancer cell engulfment of stromal cells to worse outcomes, but blocking this process as a therapy is novel and not yet proven in humans.
Where this research is happening
Pittsburgh, United States
- University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chen, Yu-Chih — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Chen, Yu-Chih
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.