Monday, September 15, 2025 9/15/2025

Regulation of PDAC metabolism and immunity by collagen and its cleavage products

Award Number: U01CA274295
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2025
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2027

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Regulation of PDAC metabolism and immunity by collagen and its cleavage products - ABSTRACT Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly desmoplastic and therapy-resistant cancer. The role of the desmoplastic stroma in PDAC remains elusive with studies supporting both tumor-promoting or tumor- restricting functions. The failure of stroma targeting therapies suggests that a deeper understanding of the complex cancer-stroma interaction is needed. Type I collagen (Col I), the major ECM protein in PDAC, can physically restrain tumors and limit nutrient availability. Yet, PDAC cells adapt and exploit the surrounding stroma to acquire more advanced malignant traits. Moreover, the desmoplastic collagen-rich stroma may suppress immunosurveillance and activate tumor-promoting mechanosensitive signaling. It is likely that tumor-promoting and tumor-suppressive effects of CAF and ECM occur in parallel and that their balance determines the net effect on PDAC growth. We seek to better understand these opposing functions by focusing on Col I as a key mediator of stroma-PDAC crosstalk. Clinical studies show improved progression-free survival (PFS) after resection in patients with “inert stroma” characterized by extensive ECM deposition and low fibrolytic activity, whereas highly fibrolytic stroma is associated with much shorter PFS times. Based on this finding we hypothesize that rather than the sheer quantity of CAF and stroma, collagen fibrolysis and differential effects of receptors that discriminate between intact and cleaved Col I dictate tumor growth and immunity. Our preliminary data support this hypothesis, indicating differential regulation of cancer cell metabolism by intact and cleaved collagen through a specific receptor, DDR1; as well as high expression of the inhibitory Col I receptor LAIR1 on immune cells and a role for Col I in immune cell infiltration and activation in PDAC spread to the liver, the most common site of metastasis and a suppressor of systemic anti-tumor immunity. Our long-term goal is to develop therapies that target collagen receptors and shift the balance from immunosuppression and tumor promotion by cleaved collagen to tumor starvation, growth inhibition and enhanced anti-tumor immunity, rather than CAF depletion or modulation, which so far had resulted in untoward effects. Our interdisciplinary team of basic and clinical- translational investigators will utilize clinical specimens, tumor slice cultures, single cell RNA-sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, mouse models and PDAC-ECM co-cultures to elucidate the role of collagen receptor signaling via two closely integrated specific aims: 1. Test the hypothesis that collagen fragments and fibers antagonistically control PDAC metabolism through the PDAC-intrinsic collagen receptor DDR1, whose inhibition can switch off tumor metabolism and induce cell death. 2. Test the hypothesis that stimulatory and inhibitory collagen receptors control anti-PDAC immunity and can be combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors to increase anti-tumor immunity. The successful completion of these research goals will provide us with novel tools for converting stroma-mediated tumor growth and immunosuppression to growth inhibition and anti-tumor immunity.


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: 2025 ( Subtotal = $1,262,768 )
2025	2025	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO	9500 GILMAN DR	LA JOLLA	CA	92093	SAN DIEGO	USA	Cancer Biology Research	000	3	6/9/2025	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$110,000
2025	2025	SANFORD BURNHAM PREBYS MEDICAL DISCOVERY INSTITUTE	10901 N TORREY PINES RD	LA JOLLA	CA	92037	SAN DIEGO	USA	21st Century Cures Act - Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot	002	4	9/5/2025	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$1,152,768
2025	2024	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO	9500 GILMAN DR	LA JOLLA	CA	92093	SAN DIEGO	USA	21st Century Cures Act - Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot	001	3	9/5/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $1,262,768

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $776,779 )
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO	9500 GILMAN DR	LA JOLLA	CA	92093	SAN DIEGO	USA	21st Century Cures Act - Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot	003	3	9/25/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO	9500 GILMAN DR	LA JOLLA	CA	92093	SAN DIEGO	USA	21st Century Cures Act - Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot	002	3	9/12/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$15,980
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO	9500 GILMAN DR	LA JOLLA	CA	92093	SAN DIEGO	USA	21st Century Cures Act - Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot	001	3	8/28/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$760,799
2024	2023	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO	9500 GILMAN DR	LA JOLLA	CA	92093	SAN DIEGO	USA	21st Century Cures Act - Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot	000	2	4/24/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $776,779

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $1,129,515 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO	9500 GILMAN DRIVE	LA JOLLA	CA	92093	SAN DIEGO	USA	21st Century Cures Act - Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot	001	2	9/5/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$955,015
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO	9500 GILMAN DRIVE	LA JOLLA	CA	92093	SAN DIEGO	USA	Cancer Biology Research	002	2	9/5/2023	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$174,500
2023	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO	9500 GILMAN DR	LA JOLLA	CA	92093	SAN DIEGO	USA	21st Century Cures Act - Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot	000	1	10/18/2022	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $1,129,515

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $971,140 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO	9500 GILMAN DR	LA JOLLA	CA	92093	SAN DIEGO	USA	21st Century Cures Act - Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot	000	1	9/21/2022	NEW	$971,140
														Subtotal = $971,140

Grand Total All Awards = $4,140,202

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Regulation of PDAC metabolism and immunity by collagen and its cleavage products

Award Number: U01CA274295

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT

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

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2025

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2027

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer