Stopping muscle wasting in pancreatic cancer-related cachexia
Project 2 NF-#B regulation in muscle wasting and pancreatic cancer-induced cachexia
Testing ways to block a cell-signaling pathway to help people with pancreatic cancer who are losing muscle and weight.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Medical University of South Carolina NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Charleston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11144579 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From my perspective as a patient, this project looks at why people with pancreatic cancer lose muscle and fat and become very weak. Researchers are focusing on a signaling pathway called NF-κB (part of a larger NF-κB/IL-6/STAT3 network) that seems to drive muscle stem cells into a damaging repair response. The team will use laboratory and tumor models and molecular studies to pinpoint how this pathway causes wasting and to find targets that drugs could act on. Experts in muscle biology, cancer, and immunology are working together to translate these findings toward treatments.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who are experiencing or at high risk for cancer-associated cachexia (significant involuntary weight or muscle loss) would be the most relevant candidates.
Not a fit: People without cancer-related cachexia or whose weight loss stems from non-inflammatory causes may not directly benefit from the approaches studied here.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to therapies that reduce or prevent muscle and weight loss in people with pancreatic cancer, improving treatment tolerance and outcomes.
How similar studies have performed: Laboratory and animal studies have linked NF-κB and IL-6/STAT3 signaling to muscle wasting and shown promise when these pathways are blocked, but effective patient treatments have not yet been established.
Where this research is happening
Charleston, United States
- Medical University of South Carolina — Charleston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Guttridge, Denis C — Medical University of South Carolina
- Study coordinator: Guttridge, Denis C
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.