Award
National Cancer Institute 4R00CA286709-03
Elucidating the role of hepatic ketogenesis in pancreatic cancer cachexia and recovery
Recipient
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science
Award Amount
$248,999.00
Ceiling
$248,999.00
Awarded
March 05, 2026
Identifier
4R00CA286709-03
The award supports research to understand and target the mechanisms of cachexia in pancreatic cancer survivors, focusing on hepatic ketogenesis and epigenetic changes to improve patient recovery and quality of life.
Description
This project focuses on understanding the epigenetic and metabolic mechanisms underlying cachexia in pancreatic cancer survivors, with potential for developing targeted therapies to improve quality of life. It aims to define epigenetic reprogramming events that persist after tumor clearance and increase muscle vulnerability to nutritional stress, using advanced epigenetic techniques and a novel mouse model. Research goals include investigating the mechanism of STAT3-driven downregulation of lipid oxidation, studying cachexia recovery in cancer survivors, pre-clinical testing of metabolic interventions to protect muscle during PDAC recovery, and defining long-term metabolic dysfunction linked to epigenetic reprogramming during PDAC cachexia.