Using a small implant to find personalized drug combinations that boost weakened immunity
Official title: A bioinspired strategy for informing drug combination to overcome disease-specificImmunosuppression
Funded at Iowa State University · NIH-11303851 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses a tiny under-skin implant to capture the body's own immune signals and turn them into personalized drug mixes for people with weakened immune systems from cancer or severe infection.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Iowa State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ames, United States) |
| Project start | May 6, 2026 |
| Project end | February 28, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $182,558 |
| NIH project number | 1R21EB036758-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11303851 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with disease-associated immune suppression (for example certain cancers or severe infection) who can receive a small subcutaneous implant and attend follow-up visits at the study site.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with primary autoimmune disorders, those who cannot have an implant, or whose immune problem is not systemic may not benefit from this approach.
What this research studies
If you join, a small biomaterial scaffold will be placed under your skin to attract immune cells and the molecules they release. Researchers will analyze those molecules to identify combinations that help restore healthy immune balance. They will test promising combinations in models of cancer-related immune suppression and bacterial toxin–driven immune dysfunction. The long-term aim is to make personalized drug cocktails based on the signals your own body produces.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could produce personalized combination drugs that restore immune balance and improve outcomes for patients with disease-related immunosuppression.
How similar studies have gone: Biomaterials have been used to shape immune responses in preclinical work, but using the foreign body response as a discovery tool for personalized systemic drug combinations is largely novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Iowa State University
Ames, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wang, Jing — Iowa State University
- Study coordinator: Wang, Jing
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.