Understanding and Treating Kidney Problems from Cancer Immunotherapy
Official title: Rapid Diagnosis and Treatment Response Phenotyping of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Associated Acute Interstitial Nephritis
Funded at Yale University · NIH-11164743 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks for better ways to quickly identify and treat kidney inflammation that can happen to people receiving certain cancer treatments.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project start | August 10, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $719,851 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK140717-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11164743 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are cancer patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy who develop acute kidney injury.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not receiving immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy or those without acute kidney injury would not directly benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
Immune checkpoint inhibitors are powerful cancer treatments, but they can sometimes cause kidney inflammation called ICI-AIN. Currently, it's challenging to tell if kidney problems are due to ICI-AIN or another cause, and it's also hard to know early on if initial steroid treatments are working. This project aims to find a new marker, CXCL9, to help diagnose ICI-AIN faster and predict how well patients will respond to steroids. Researchers will also explore why some patients don't improve with steroids, which could lead to better alternative treatments. This work involves recruiting patients who develop kidney injury while on these cancer therapies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to quicker diagnosis and more effective, personalized treatment for kidney problems caused by cancer immunotherapy.
How similar studies have gone: This project proposes a novel approach to use CXCL9 as a real-time biomarker, addressing current diagnostic and treatment response challenges in ICI-AIN.
Where this research is happening
-
Yale University
New Haven, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Moledina, Dennis G. — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Moledina, Dennis G.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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A study using dogs with naturally occurring invasive bladder cancer to help improve immune checkpoint therapies for people with the same disease.
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Characterizing the psychological symptoms in melanoma patients on immunotherapy
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Immunologic and Antigenic Drivers of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor–Associated Heart Inflammation
A doctor-scientist team is studying why cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint drugs sometimes develop dangerous heart inflammation and what immune targets cause it.
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Pathway-guided treatment of colon toxicity from immune checkpoint inhibitors
A patient-focused look at a study that aims to understand and improve how immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy causes colon inflammation and how to treat it more effectively.
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.