Wednesday, November 26, 2025 11/26/2025

(11) Diet Modification to Augment Radiation for Breast Cancer Brain Metastases

Award Number: R01CA227479
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/01/2018
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2025

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(11) Diet Modification to Augment Radiation for Breast Cancer Brain Metastases - Project Summary In response to PQ11, “Through what mechanisms do diet and nutritional interventions affect the response to cancer treatment?,” this proposal will determine that nutrition can be used to improve radiation (RT) response, improve outcomes and decrease toxicity for breast cancer patients with brain metastases. Breast cancer is the leading cause of brain metastases in women and is associated with a dismal prognosis despite standard therapies including radiation or surgical resection. Local control of brain metastases confers better survival and prevents neurological decline. To try and improve local control, novel targeted therapies have been added to radiation (RT); most have unfortunately resulted in little improvement while adding significant toxicity. For the first time, it will be determined if dietary modifications may play a role in the treatment of brain metastases since one of the hallmarks of both metastases and tumor cell resistance to RT, is the dysregulation of cellular metabolism. Our long-term goal is to 1) change the landscape of cancer care by empowering patients to use dietary interventions to improve outcomes, and 2) to use the discoveries from this proposal to translate findings. The objective of this grant is to determine if radiation efficacy can be increased for metastatic disease without increasing toxicity, by using dietary manipulation. The central hypothesis is that an integrated approach, one incorporating dietary changes, will alter key pro-survival pathways in metastatic tumor cells, to improve local control and, therefore, patient survival. Our specific aims will test the following hypotheses: (Aim1) Determine the contribution of dietary intervention on radiation effectiveness in treatment of breast cancer brain metastases; (Aim 2) the IGF-1R/AKT signaling pathway axis is a key node, at least in some part, in the biological response leading to the proposed molecular cytotoxic cooperation between dietary modification and RT; (Aim 3) Determine the subset of breast cancer patients with brain metastases that benefit from combined DMs and RT. This contribution is significant since it will establish that dietary modifications can target pathways (ie IGF-1R/Akt) to modulate the radiation response and affect a positive clinical change. The proposed research is innovative because diet has not been used as a “drug” during cancer therapy. This proposal will provide insight into how dietary modifications can be used to affect the radiation response, potential toxicity and outcomes in breast cancer patients with brain metastases.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2026	2022	THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY	1020 WALNUT ST STE 1	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19107	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Cancer Treatment Research	000	5	11/21/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2024	2022	THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY	1020 WALNUT ST	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19107	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Cancer Treatment Research	000	5	5/27/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $349,713 )
2022	2022	THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY	1020 WALNUT ST STE 1	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19107	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Cancer Treatment Research	000	5	7/12/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$349,713
														Subtotal = $349,713

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $590,850 )
2021	2021	THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY	1020 WALNUT ST STE 1	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19107	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Cancer Treatment Research	000	4	6/28/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$356,850
2021	2021	THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY	1020 WALNUT ST STE 1	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19107	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Cancer Biology Research	001	4	7/19/2021	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$234,000
														Subtotal = $590,850

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $356,850 )
2020	2020	THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY	1020 WALNUT ST STE 1	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19107	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Cancer Treatment Research	000	3	6/30/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$356,850
														Subtotal = $356,850

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = $346,144 )
2019	2019	THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY	1020 WALNUT ST STE 1	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19107	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Cancer Treatment Research	000	2	9/4/2019	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$346,144
														Subtotal = $346,144

Issue Date FY: 2018 ( Subtotal = $351,726 )
2018	2018	THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY	1020 WALNUT ST STE 1	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19107	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Cancer Treatment Research	000	1	6/13/2018	NEW	$351,726
														Subtotal = $351,726

Grand Total All Awards = $1,995,283

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(11) Diet Modification to Augment Radiation for Breast Cancer Brain Metastases

Award Number: R01CA227479

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/01/2018

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2025

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