Understanding and overcoming resistance to cancer treatments in small cell lung cancer
Official title: Dissecting and overcoming cross-resistance to DNA damaging agents in SCLC
Funded at Ut Southwestern Medical Center · NIH-10900664 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at why small cell lung cancer sometimes stops responding to chemotherapy, using special models that mimic the disease, to find new ways to help patients who face a relapse.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Career grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ut Southwestern Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Dallas, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2020 |
| Project end | July 31, 2025 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $246,878 |
| NIH project number | 5K08CA237832-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-10900664 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are patients diagnosed with small cell lung cancer who have undergone initial chemotherapy and are experiencing relapse.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with small cell lung cancer who have not received prior chemotherapy or those with other types of cancer may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on small cell lung cancer (SCLC), a highly aggressive form of cancer that often becomes resistant to chemotherapy after initial treatment. The team is investigating the molecular mechanisms behind this resistance using patient-derived models that mimic the disease's progression. By analyzing these models, they aim to identify potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets that could lead to more effective treatments for patients who experience relapse. The research utilizes advanced techniques to study how cancer cells respond to various DNA damaging agents.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved treatment options for patients with relapsed small cell lung cancer.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown promise in understanding cancer resistance mechanisms, but this approach using patient-derived models is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Ut Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Drapkin, Benjamin J — Ut Southwestern Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Drapkin, Benjamin J
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Role of Twice-Daily Thoracic Radiotherapy in Limited-Stage SCLC in the Immunotherapy Era
This project looks at whether giving twice-daily radiotherapy for limited-stage small cell lung cancer still helps patients today who are also getting immunotherapy.
-
SCLC model creation and therapy testing
A cancer research program using mouse models and engineered human and mouse cells to study small cell lung cancer and test potential treatments.
-
Impact of genetic changes on SCLC subtypes and treatment response
This project explores how specific genetic changes in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) affect the disease and how it responds to targeted drugs.
-
Repair mechanisms for DNA lesions in small cell lung cancer
Researchers are studying how cancer cells with small cell lung cancer respond or become resistant to treatment by looking at the ways DNA damage is repaired.
-
Understanding how replication stress affects a hard-to-treat breast cancer gene patients may carry
This grant explores how certain breast cancer gene defects interact with replication stress to influence cancer cell survival and treatment resistance, with potential implications for therapies in patients with BRCA2-related breast cancer.
-
Replication Stress Sensing Defects in Small Cell Lung Cancer
A study in people might not be involved directly, but it aims to understand why a common lung cancer responds poorly to therapy over time by examining how cancer cells handle replication stress.
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.