Understanding and Overcoming Chemoresistance in Small Cell Lung Cancer
Official title: Identifying and understanding drivers of chemoresistance in small cell lung cancer
Funded at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center · NIH-11357546 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Aims to identify what drives resistance to chemotherapy in small cell lung cancer to help develop better treatment options for patients.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $530,048 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA281133-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11357546 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with small cell lung cancer or their tumor samples may contribute to understanding chemoresistance, and future trials could test new strategies arising from this work.
✕Less likely to help
Early-phase research may not directly benefit all patients, and findings may take time to translate into treatments.
What this research studies
Small cell lung cancer is aggressive and often stops responding to chemotherapy, leading to relapse. This project uses patient-derived models and in vivo CRISPR screening to find genes and pathways that make cancer cells resistant to cisplatin and etoposide. By focusing on the SAGA complex and USP22, the team hopes to uncover key drivers of resistance and how to counteract them. Findings could point to new strategies to keep chemotherapy effective longer for people with this disease.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to new targets or combination therapies that prevent or overcome chemoresistance in small cell lung cancer.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work showed that certain genes and chromatin-related factors can influence chemoresistance, with some promising in vivo findings in PDX models.
Where this research is happening
-
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Macpherson, David — Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
- Study coordinator: Macpherson, David
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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.