NIH-funded research P01 program project

Understanding and Improving Chemoradiation Response in Esophagogastric and Pancreatic Cancer

Official title: High Resolution Dissection of Response Mechanisms to Chemoradiation in Gastrointestinal Cancers

Funded at Massachusetts General Hospital · NIH-11263056 · Data updated 2026-11-12

This grant aims to learn why esophagogastric and pancreatic cancers resist standard chemoradiation and to use that knowledge to guide better, biomarker-driven treatments.

More Gastrointestinal Cancers research and trials

Quick facts

Grant typeP01 program project
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionMassachusetts General Hospital
NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Boston, United States)
Project startSeptember 4, 2026
Project endAugust 31, 2031
Funding year2026
Award (this year)$1,652,508
NIH project number1P01CA295486-01A1
Project IDNIH-11263056 on NIH RePORTER

Who could benefit from this research

Could help

Patients with non-metastatic esophagogastric adenocarcinoma or pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiation and surgery.

Less likely to help

Patients not receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiation or those not undergoing surgery may not directly benefit.

What this research studies

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital will study tumor samples from patients with esophagogastric and pancreatic cancers treated with chemoradiation and surgery. They will examine molecular and immunologic changes at high resolution to identify why some tumors don’t respond well. The project uses existing trial samples and builds a set of interconnected studies and core facilities to link biology with potential new trials. The goal is to pave the way for personalized, biomarker-informed approaches that improve local control and outcomes.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to more effective, tailored treatment plans for these difficult cancers.

How similar studies have gone: Prior phase II trials and biomarker studies suggest that understanding resistance mechanisms can inform better clinical strategies.

Where this research is happening

  • Massachusetts General Hospital
    Boston, United States
    Active

Researchers

  • Principal investigator: Klempner, Samuel J — Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Study coordinator: Klempner, Samuel J

Related research

Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.
Last reviewed 2026-11-14 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.