Triggering gasdermin pores to spark cancer-fighting inflammation
Activating gasdermin pores to induce pyroptosis and stimulate anti-tumor immunity
This project aims to turn on a protein that makes cancer cells die in an inflammatory way to wake up the immune system for people whose tumors do not respond well to current immunotherapies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston Children's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11294343 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
The researchers plan to activate gasdermin proteins (especially GSDMD) to create pores in tumor cells that cause an inflammatory cell death called pyroptosis, which can release signals that recruit immune cells. They will develop and test molecules that open these gasdermin pores and study the resulting cytokine release, antigen presentation, and immune cell activation. Work will include laboratory experiments, animal models, and analysis of human-relevant tumor samples to see how gasdermin activation interacts with checkpoint blockade therapies. The goal is to create a predictable way to make tumors more visible to the immune system and to identify approaches that could move into clinical testing.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with solid tumors that have not responded to checkpoint inhibitor treatments or whose tumors show expression of gasdermin proteins would be the most likely candidates for related trials.
Not a fit: Patients whose cancers lack gasdermin expression, who need immediate standard-of-care treatment, or who cannot tolerate immune-activating approaches may not benefit from this strategy.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could make previously unresponsive tumors more likely to be destroyed by a patient’s own immune system and improve outcomes from immunotherapies.
How similar studies have performed: Preclinical research shows that inducing inflammatory cell death can boost anti-tumor immunity, but directly activating gasdermins as a therapeutic approach is still early and has not been proven in humans.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Boston Children's Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wu, Hao — Boston Children's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Wu, Hao
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 below.