TIME-based immunograms to guide sequential cancer immunotherapy
Official title: PROJECT 1: TIME-Based Spatiotemporal Cancer Immunograms Predictive for Immunotherapy-Targeted Therapy Sequential Combinations
Funded at Institute for Systems Biology · NIH-11415804 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A patient-friendly look at a research project that tests whether timing and sequencing of immunotherapy with targeted drugs can improve outcomes for people with melanoma and other cancers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Institute for Systems Biology NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | September 22, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $416,281 |
| NIH project number | 5U54CA274509-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11415804 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with cancers that can be treated with BRAFV600 mutations or comparable targeted therapies, including melanoma, and who are eligible for immunotherapy sequencing strategies.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose cancer does not respond to immunotherapy or targeted therapies, or whose tumors lack the relevant mutations, may not benefit from these sequencing findings.
What this research studies
This project explores how the order and timing of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapies combined with targeted drugs may boost treatment effectiveness across different cancers. Building on animal data, researchers will study how pretreating with immunotherapy before combination therapy changes the tumor-immune environment and may reduce brain metastases. The work focuses on understanding how sequencing influences immune cell responses and therapy durability to guide future clinical strategies. If successful, findings could inform better treatment plans that maximize benefit and minimize side effects for patients with cancer. The study is conducted at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle under the direction of James R. Heath.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could lead to more effective cancer treatment regimens by identifying optimal sequencing of immunotherapy and targeted therapies.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical and clinical data suggest that sequencing immunotherapy before targeted therapy can improve outcomes in some settings, but results have been mixed across studies.
Where this research is happening
-
Institute for Systems Biology
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Heath, James R. — Institute for Systems Biology
- Study coordinator: Heath, James R.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Using time-based cancer immunograms to improve immunotherapy treatments
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Timing-based immune maps to guide the order of immunotherapy and targeted cancer drugs
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Improving treatment response assessment for brain cancer using MRI and blood tests
This study is looking at how well immunotherapy and targeted therapy work for people with brain metastases by using special MRI scans and blood tests to find out if the treatment is helping or if the cancer is getting worse, all without needing any painful biopsies.
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.