Turning tumor interferon signals on with fractionated radiation
Cancer Cell Intrinsic Interferon-I pathway Activation by Fractionated Radiation
This work sees if giving radiation in several smaller doses can switch on immune signals inside tumors to help people with metastatic cancers respond better to immunotherapy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11144990 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient perspective, researchers are using carefully timed, fractionated radiation to try to trigger type I interferon signaling inside cancer cells and then watching how that signal draws immune cells into tumors. They will study how recruited dendritic cells and activated natural killer (NK) cells might help the immune system attack both the irradiated tumor and distant, untreated tumors (the abscopal effect). The team combines laboratory models with analysis of tumor tissue and immune cells to map the pathways involved and to identify radiation schedules that produce the strongest immune activation. Findings could guide combining radiation with immune checkpoint drugs to improve outcomes for people with metastatic solid tumors.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be adults with metastatic solid tumors who are receiving or may receive radiation and immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy and who can be seen at participating cancer centers.
Not a fit: Patients who are not receiving immunotherapy, are ineligible for radiation, or whose tumors do not respond to immune activation may not benefit from the approaches studied here.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could increase the chance that radiation plus immunotherapy shrinks both treated tumors and distant metastases.
How similar studies have performed: Mouse studies and some patient case reports have shown abscopal responses with radiation plus immunotherapy, but reliable benefits across larger patient groups remain limited.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Demaria, Sandra — Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ
- Study coordinator: Demaria, Sandra
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.