NIH-funded research NIH-funded research

Understanding why some bladder cancer patients respond or resist ADC-immunotherapy combos

Official title: Project 1: Elucidating Mechanisms of Sensitivity and Resistance to Combination Antibody-Drug Conjugate Therapy and Immunotherapy in Urothelial Cancer

Funded at Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research · NIH-11335849 · Data updated 2026-11-12

A research project looks at why some bladder cancer patients benefit from antibody-drug conjugate therapy combined with immunotherapy and why others don’t.

More Immunotherapy research and trials

Quick facts

Grant typeNIH-funded research
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionSloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (New York, United States)
Project startSeptember 18, 2026
Project endAugust 31, 2031
Funding year2026
Award (this year)$499,767
NIH project number1P50CA310825-01
Project IDNIH-11335849 on NIH RePORTER

Who could benefit from this research

Could help

Adults with metastatic or regionally advanced urothelial (bladder) cancer who are treated with EV+P or are being considered for EV+P as part of standard care or presurgical trials.

Less likely to help

Patients not receiving EV+P or not participating in presurgical trials may not benefit from the findings.

What this research studies

This project focuses on bladder cancer patients treated with antibody-drug conjugates such as enfortumab vedotin plus pembrolizumab. It will analyze tumor tissue and blood samples before and after treatment to uncover clues about response and resistance. By linking immune responses and tumor characteristics, the study aims to identify markers and mechanisms that could guide better, personalized treatment decisions. The work uses patient-derived samples from standard care and from an investigator-initiated trial to explore how immune activation relates to durable responses.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, patients could receive more effective, personalized therapies with fewer ineffective treatments.

How similar studies have gone: Previous studies show promising responses with EV+P, but resistance remains common, so this work builds on partially successful approaches with deeper mechanistic insight.

Where this research is happening

  • Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
    New York, United States
    Active

Researchers

  • Principal investigator: Rosenberg, Jonathan Eric — Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
  • Study coordinator: Rosenberg, Jonathan Eric

Related research

Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.
Last reviewed 2026-11-14 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.