Targeting brain tumors with cell-penetrating anti-nucleic acid antibodies
Official title: Targeting brain tumors with cell-penetrating anti-nucleic acid autoantibodies
Funded at Yale University · NIH-11391685 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study exploring a new way to treat glioblastoma by using special antibodies that can enter brain tumor cells and deliver drugs or rewire the tumor environment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2020 |
| Project end | March 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $589,040 |
| NIH project number | 2R01NS112223-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11391685 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are patients with glioblastoma or brain tumors in research settings where brain imaging and tissue samples can be collected.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without glioblastoma or without access to relevant brain-tumor samples may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project tests whether cell-penetrating autoantibodies that bind nucleic acids can reach glioblastoma cells in the brain and help deliver therapies or make the tumor area more friendly to immune attack. It builds on findings that certain lupus-related antibodies can cross cell membranes and reach intracellular targets, potentially avoiding degradation in lysosomes. The approach could provide a novel route to enhance drug delivery to brain tumors and alter the tumor microenvironment to support anti-tumor responses. The work involves molecular and cellular studies in models that mimic human glioblastoma to evaluate delivery, distribution, and immunological effects.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients with glioblastoma could benefit from more effective drug delivery to tumor cells and a more permissive immune environment.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows that certain autoantibodies can cross cell membranes and reach intracellular targets, but applying this to brain tumors is emerging and exploratory.
Where this research is happening
-
Yale University
New Haven, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hansen, James E. — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Hansen, James E.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
ONC206 for children with brain tumors: a first-in-children trial
A first-in-children trial will test the safety and early signs of effectiveness of ONC206, taken by mouth, in kids with malignant brain tumors like diffuse midline gliomas.
-
ONC206 for children with malignant brain tumors
A first-in-children trial tests the safety and early effectiveness of a pill that can cross the brain barrier to treat pediatric brain tumors.
-
ONC206 for children with dangerous brain tumors
A first-in-children study tests the safety and early effectiveness of an oral drug, ONC206, for kids with high-risk brain tumors that have spread or recurred.
-
Oral bacteria and brain metastasis: how the mouth may influence brain tumors
A study exploring how oral microbes may affect brain metastases and patient outcomes, with potential to guide new microbiome-based approaches.
-
Bioengineered brain barrier chip to improve drug screening for brain tumors
A small, patient-friendly brain barrier chip is being developed to test drugs for glioblastoma more accurately before they reach clinical trials.
-
Understanding how epigenetic changes drive pediatric brain tumor recurrence and how reversing them could help
A pediatric brain cancer research project is exploring how an epigenetic change (H3K27M) and tumor environment contribute to tumor coming back, using a reversible mouse model to study potential ways to prevent recurrence.
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.