Using androgen receptor targeting to improve bladder cancer treatment with immune therapies
Official title: Targeting the Androgen Receptor to Sensitize Bladder Cancer to Immune Check Point Blockade.
Funded at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · NIH-11003717 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at whether a treatment that lowers male hormones can help make immune therapies work better for people with bladder cancer who haven't had much success with current options.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2024 |
| Project end | December 31, 2025 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $197,519 |
| NIH project number | 5R21CA286309-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11003717 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are patients diagnosed with bladder cancer, particularly those with androgen receptor-positive tumors.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with bladder cancer who do not have androgen receptor-positive tumors may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how targeting the androgen receptor can enhance the effectiveness of immune checkpoint blockade therapies in bladder cancer patients. Many patients with bladder cancer do not respond well to current immune therapies, and this study aims to explore how androgen deprivation therapy, commonly used in prostate cancer, can improve outcomes. By using preclinical mouse models and advanced techniques like single cell transcriptomics, the research will examine how these treatments can alter the immune environment in bladder tumors. The goal is to find new ways to make existing therapies more effective for patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved treatment options for bladder cancer patients who currently have limited responses to immune therapies.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research in prostate cancer has shown promising results using similar approaches, suggesting potential for success in bladder cancer as well.
Where this research is happening
-
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mulholland, David — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Mulholland, David
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Population modeling to reduce bladder cancer burden
Aimed at predicting and guiding effective, population-based ways to prevent and control bladder cancer.
-
Blocking a new immune checkpoint in bladder cancer
Researchers are trying medicines that block a newly found immune pathway to help people with bladder cancer, especially those whose tumors do not respond to current immunotherapy.
-
Nrf2 in T cells and how it could boost immune power against bladder cancer
A small grant will explore how a T-cell protein called Nrf2 affects muscle-invasive bladder cancer and whether targeting it could help patients respond better to immune therapies.
-
Understanding why bladder cancer spreads and resists treatment
This grant studies how advanced bladder cancer changes and spreads across the body, aiming to uncover why it’s hard to treat.
-
Molecular clues to bladder cancer cell changes and therapy response
This NIH grant looks at how bladder cancer cells change their identity and how that affects response to treatment, with a focus on aggressive neuroendocrine variants.
-
Repurposing spironolactone to treat bladder cancer inside the bladder
Aims to repurpose spironolactone as an intravesical treatment for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer to help prevent recurrence and progression.
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.