WNT4 gene changes and their role in gynecologic cancer risk and treatment response
Official title: Elucidating a novel WNT4 regulatory axis as a driver of gynecologic cancer health disparities
Funded at University of Colorado Denver · NIH-11169726 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work is looking at whether a common change in the WNT4 gene raises risk and makes ovarian and other gynecologic cancers harder to treat, especially for women from diverse racial backgrounds.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Colorado Denver NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Aurora, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 21, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $595,487 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA285446-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11169726 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Women with ovarian or other gynecologic cancers—particularly those who have had chemotherapy or come from populations known to carry the WNT4 rs3820282 variant—would be most relevant for this work.
✕Less likely to help
People without gynecologic cancers or whose tumors do not involve WNT4 changes are unlikely to directly benefit from this specific line of research.
What this research studies
Researchers will use human ovarian tumor samples, laboratory cancer cells, and mouse models to study how the WNT4 regulatory variant rs3820282 affects tumor growth, metabolism, and response to chemotherapy. They will use CRISPR to introduce the variant into mice and compare tissues and tumor behavior with and without the variant. Tumor protein arrays and metabolic measurements will be used to see whether the variant changes signaling pathways such as AMPK and glucose metabolism. The team will also examine tumors from patients after chemotherapy to see if WNT4 is increased in surviving cancer cells and whether that links to treatment resistance and population differences.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify patients at higher risk or likely to resist chemotherapy and point to new ways to personalize treatment for gynecologic cancers.
How similar studies have gone: Previous genetic studies have linked WNT4 variants to gynecologic disease and lab work has shown WNT4 can drive chemotherapy resistance, but tying the rs3820282 regulatory change to metabolism and patient tumor behavior is a new contribution.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Colorado Denver
Aurora, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sikora, Matthew J — University of Colorado Denver
- Study coordinator: Sikora, Matthew J
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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.