Targeting the DC-HIL pathway to treat melanoma
Official title: DC-HIL in cancer
Funded at VA North Texas Health Care System · NIH-11212795 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new approach aims to block the DC-HIL pathway to help people with melanoma by affecting tumor blood vessels and immune response.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | VA North Texas Health Care System NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Dallas, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2018 |
| Project end | September 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01BX004069-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11212795 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be people with advanced or metastatic melanoma or patients willing to provide tumor tissue or clinical data for research.
✕Less likely to help
People with cancers other than melanoma or those with very early, low-risk melanoma are unlikely to benefit directly in the near term.
What this research studies
If you have melanoma, this work focuses on a pathway called DC-HIL that links the immune system and tumor blood vessels. Researchers will study how that pathway affects tumor growth and spread, develop a therapy aimed at a specific carbohydrate in the pathway, and track how that carbohydrate changes as melanoma progresses. The work uses laboratory models and analyses of melanoma tissue to guide therapy design. The goal is to turn those findings into better ways to manage metastatic melanoma and possibly other cancers.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could produce new treatments that slow melanoma growth, reduce metastasis, or improve response to immune therapies.
How similar studies have gone: Related strategies that target tumor blood vessels and immune-suppressive pathways have shown promise, but directly targeting DC-HIL/SD4 is a relatively new approach not yet proven in patients.
Where this research is happening
-
VA North Texas Health Care System
Dallas, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cruz, Ponciano D — VA North Texas Health Care System
- Study coordinator: Cruz, Ponciano D
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.