Understanding how stress affects cancer spread and treatment outcomes
Official title: Defining brain-body feedback loops mediating stress-induced metastasis
Funded at Johns Hopkins University · NIH-11397593 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A funded program at Johns Hopkins explores how stress hormones and the brain’s stress pathways influence cancer metastasis in animals, with the goal of improving care for patients with breast and pancreatic cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | September 10, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $646,873 |
| NIH project number | 5U01CA293470-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11397593 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with breast or pancreatic cancer whose disease is sensitive to stress-related biological pathways may potentially benefit from future translational applications.
✕Less likely to help
The research itself uses animal models; direct patient benefit will depend on subsequent human studies and therapeutic development.
What this research studies
The project uses chronic stress models in mice to study how the brain’s stress signals trigger hormone release and immune system changes that may help cancer spread. Researchers focus on the HPA axis and sympathetic nervous system interactions, especially the role of corticotrophin-releasing hormone neurons and glucocorticoids. By examining neutrophil extracellular trap formation as a potential mechanism, the work aims to connect emotional and physiological stress to metastasis in cancer. The team brings together experts from multiple disciplines to translate basic findings into strategies that could reduce metastasis risk in patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new approaches to lessen stress-related cancer spread and improve outcomes for patients with aggressive cancers.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work suggests stress biology influences cancer progression, but the exact brain-body mechanisms and NET formation in metastasis are still being explored.
Where this research is happening
-
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Egeblad, Mikala — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Egeblad, Mikala
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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.