Understanding and Preventing Side Effects of Cancer Immunotherapy
Official title: Bioactive Metabolites Modulate Immune-Related Adverse Events in Cancer Immunotherapy
Funded at La Jolla Institute for Immunology · NIH-11123429 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research looks at a natural small molecule called LPC 18:2 to help prevent or reduce severe side effects in cancer patients receiving powerful immune-boosting treatments.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | La Jolla Institute for Immunology NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project start | July 8, 2021 |
| Project end | June 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $693,716 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA256133-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11123429 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for future studies related to this research would be cancer patients receiving immune checkpoint blockade therapy who are at risk for or experiencing immune-related adverse events.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not undergoing immune checkpoint blockade therapy or those who do not experience immune-related adverse events may not directly benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
Cancer immunotherapy has brought great hope to many patients by helping their own immune system fight cancer. However, these treatments can sometimes cause serious immune-related side effects, which can be very difficult to manage and may even lead to stopping treatment. Our team is exploring a specific natural molecule, LPC 18:2, which we believe might help control these unwanted immune reactions. We are studying how LPC 18:2 levels relate to side effects in cancer patients and how it might protect against them.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new ways to prevent or treat the severe side effects of cancer immunotherapy, allowing more patients to safely continue their life-saving treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Currently, there are no known molecular modulators specifically designed to prevent or treat immune-related adverse events from immune checkpoint blockade, making this a novel approach.
Where this research is happening
-
La Jolla Institute for Immunology
La Jolla, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sharma, Sonia — La Jolla Institute for Immunology
- Study coordinator: Sharma, Sonia
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Boosting immune response to fight cancer
This study is exploring a new way to help your immune system better fight cancer by tweaking certain cells in your body, and it aims to improve treatment for people with advanced cancer.
-
A center focused on immunotherapy for pediatric cancers.
This study is exploring new ways to use the body's immune system to fight childhood cancers, aiming to create better treatments for kids whose cancers haven't responded well to standard therapies.
-
Algorithms to find HLA-E neoantigens for cancer immunotherapy
Aims to develop computer methods to discover tumor-specific targets presented by HLA-E to guide new T cell therapies for cancer.
-
Immunotherapy for glioblastoma: advancing treatment and understanding
A patient-friendly summary of a grant exploring new immune-based treatments for glioblastoma to improve options for people affected by this brain cancer.
-
How CRISPR-based gene activation could shape immunotherapy responses in clear cell cancers
A research project at Stanford is using CRISPR-based gene activation to understand why some clear cell ovarian and kidney cancers respond to immunotherapy while others do not.
-
Hybrid biomaterial system to boost immunotherapy for rheumatoid arthritis
A new, patient-facing immunotherapy approach uses specialized particles to retrain the immune system to calm RA in adults.
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.