Targeting clonal blood cell changes to overcome therapy resistance in thyroid cancer
Official title: Clonal hematopoiesis as a targetable mechanism of resistance to therapy in thyroid cancer.
Funded at Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research · NIH-11366718 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research tests how clonal blood cell changes influence treatment response in elderly patients with aggressive thyroid cancer and aims to improve outcomes when MAPK inhibitors are used.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 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 | June 1, 2026 |
| Project end | May 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $752,808 |
| NIH project number | 1R01CA303958-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11366718 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer or other BRAF-mutant thyroid cancers who may harbor age-related clonal hematopoiesis and could be eligible for future translational studies.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without ATC or without relevant mutations in clonal hematopoiesis may not directly benefit from this research.
What this research studies
Anaplastic thyroid cancer is harsh, especially in older adults. The project explores how age-related clonal hematopoiesis, especially TET2-linked changes in blood cells, interacts with tumor biology and treatment in thyroid cancer. Using mouse models that mimic concurrent blood cell mutations and thyroid tumors, the study investigates the tumor immune environment and the durability of responses to BRAF and MEK inhibitors. The goal is to identify mechanisms of resistance and potential ways to enhance therapy through targeting the immune and hematopoietic context of the tumor. This work could inform future strategies to extend survival for patients with ATC and possibly other solid tumors with similar blood-cell–tumor interactions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could lead to new combination strategies that prolong response to targeted therapy in thyroid cancer and improve survival for patients with this aggressive disease.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work has linked clonal hematopoiesis to worse outcomes in solid tumors; this project extends those findings to thyroid cancer and treatment response, representing a novel but biologically plausible approach.
Where this research is happening
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Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fagin, James a — Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
- Study coordinator: Fagin, James a
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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.