Targeting Angiopoietin‑2/Tie2 to limit liver spread of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors
Official title: Angiopoietin-2/Tie2 signaling regulation of liver metastasis in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors
Funded at Columbia University Health Sciences · NIH-11211625 · Data updated 2026-11-12
The team is looking at whether blocking a blood‑vessel protein called Angiopoietin‑2 can reduce liver spread in people with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R37 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | July 12, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $106,093 |
| NIH project number | 3R37CA266270-04S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11211625 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, especially those with existing liver metastases or at high risk for liver spread, would be the most relevant candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with other types of pancreatic cancer or non‑neuroendocrine tumors are unlikely to benefit from Angiopoietin‑2‑targeted approaches.
What this research studies
Scientists are studying how Angiopoietin‑2 and its receptor Tie2 make blood vessels leaky in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors and how that helps cancer spread to the liver. In mouse models, blocking Angiopoietin‑2 reduced liver tumor growth and improved survival. The project will examine how these blood‑vessel changes keep immune cells out of tumors and make immunotherapy less effective, and test whether combining Angiopoietin‑2 blockade with immune approaches can improve outcomes. The goal is to identify strategies that could lead to new treatments to prevent or slow liver metastases.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to treatments that prevent or slow liver metastases and make immunotherapies work better for people with PanNETs.
How similar studies have gone: Prior preclinical studies link Angiopoietin‑2 to vascular instability and reduced metastasis when blocked in animal models, but benefit in people with PanNETs has not been proven.
Where this research is happening
-
Columbia University Health Sciences
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kim, Minah — Columbia University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Kim, Minah
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Angiopoietin-2 and Tie2 signals shaping liver metastasis in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors
A study explores how Angiopoietin-2 and the Tie2 receptor influence the spread of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors to the liver and how this affects responses to immunotherapy.
-
Understanding and Stopping Liver Spread of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors
This work explores how a protein called Angiopoietin-2 helps pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors spread to the liver and how blocking it might improve treatments.
-
Understanding how Angiopoietin-2 affects liver metastasis in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors
This study is looking at how a protein called Angiopoietin-2 affects the spread of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors to the liver, and it hopes to find new ways to help patients with this type of cancer live longer and healthier lives.
-
Investigating how Angiopoietin-2 affects liver metastasis in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors
This study is looking at how a protein called Angiopoietin-2 affects the spread of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors to the liver, and it aims to find out if blocking this protein can help slow down tumor growth and improve survival for patients with this type of cancer.
-
Lymph node metastasis and immune tolerance in head and neck cancer
A study in people with head and neck cancer looks at how cancer spread to lymph nodes may shape the immune system and help tumors grow.
-
Targeting how RMS cells fail to mature to slow or stop pediatric muscle cancer spread
A project to understand why a pediatric muscle cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma spreads, and to test ideas that could slow or stop it by helping cancer cells mature properly.
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.