VA colorectal cancer prevention and early detection collaborative
Official title: BCCMA: VA Colorectal Cancer Clinical & Computational Collaborative (VA-5C)
Funded at VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System · NIH-11186732 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This program tests ways to find and prevent colon cancer in U.S. Veterans by studying polyps, diet, and gut bacteria.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2026 |
| Project end | March 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 1I01BX006367-01A2 |
| Project ID | NIH-11186732 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are Veterans with a history of colorectal polyps—especially serrated lesions or multiple adenomatous polyps—or Veterans undergoing colonoscopy who can provide tissue, blood, and stool samples.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without polyps, those not undergoing colonoscopy, or those unable to provide biological samples may have little direct benefit from participating.
What this research studies
The VA5C brings together clinicians and data scientists across VA centers to study precancerous colon polyps in Veterans. Teams will collect biopsies, blood, stool samples, and medical records to examine polyp types, the gut microbiome, and dietary patterns. Laboratory and animal models plus computational analyses will be used to connect specific microbes or food-related genotoxins to cancer risk. The work focuses on serrated adenomas and Veterans with multiple adenomatous polyps to identify targets for prevention and earlier detection.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify Veterans at higher risk of colorectal cancer and point to new prevention strategies based on diet or the gut microbiome.
How similar studies have gone: Prior animal and human studies have linked diet and the gut microbiome to colorectal cancer risk, but combining clinical VA cohorts with computational approaches in Veterans is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pisegna, Joseph R — VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
- Study coordinator: Pisegna, Joseph R
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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.