Targeting ALT Cancer: Finding New Ways to control Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres
Official title: Targeting Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres in Cancer
Funded at Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research · NIH-11452231 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A researcher is studying why some cancers keep growing by using a mechanism called ALT and how to block it to help people with those cancers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Career grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2026 |
| Project end | July 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $263,073 |
| NIH project number | 1K08CA308856-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11452231 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals with ALT-positive cancers, particularly sarcomas or gliomas, or patients contributing tumor samples for research.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with non-ALT cancers or those not contributing samples may not benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
This project aims to uncover the genetic and chromatin factors that enable ALT in cancer cells, focusing on ATRX loss and the role of the WIZ protein in telomere biology. The scientists will perform experiments to see how telomere-associated chromatin marks affect ALT activation. By understanding these processes, they hope to identify targets that could be used to develop new treatments for ALT-positive tumors such as certain sarcomas and gliomas.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to new therapies that specifically target ALT-positive cancers and improve outcomes for patients with these tumors.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier ALT research has identified ATRX loss as important; the proposed work builds on this by exploring additional factors and could translate to new treatments.
Where this research is happening
-
Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Diplas, Bill H — Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
- Study coordinator: Diplas, Bill H
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.