Understanding immune responses in cancer treatment using advanced imaging techniques
Official title: Delineating Functional Immunity via Image-Guided PET
Funded at Wayne State University · NIH-10908267 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at a new way to see how well your immune system is working in tumors, using special imaging techniques that could help doctors figure out if immunotherapy will be effective for you before you start treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R37 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wayne State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Detroit, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2025 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $553,790 |
| NIH project number | 5R37CA220482-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-10908267 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are patients with cancers that are treated with immunotherapy, particularly those who may not have responded well to previous treatments.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with cancers that do not involve immune checkpoint inhibitors or those who are not candidates for immunotherapy may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on improving cancer immunotherapy by developing non-invasive imaging techniques to monitor immune activity within tumors. By using positron emission tomography (PET) tracers that target interferon-γ, a key marker of immune response, the study aims to predict how well patients will respond to immunotherapy before treatment begins. The approach utilizes genetically diverse mouse models to simulate human responses, allowing researchers to better understand the relationship between immune activity and treatment outcomes. This innovative method could help identify which patients are most likely to benefit from specific immunotherapies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to more personalized cancer treatments by accurately predicting patient responses to immunotherapy.
How similar studies have gone: Other research has shown promising results using similar imaging techniques to monitor immune responses, indicating potential for success in this approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Wayne State University
Detroit, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Viola, Nerissa Therese — Wayne State University
- Study coordinator: Viola, Nerissa Therese
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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.