# Transition to Metastatic State: Lung Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer and Brain Metastasis

> **NIH NIH U2C** · SLOAN-KETTERING INST CAN RESEARCH · 2020 · $2,665,572

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY (Overall Unit)
Metastasis embodies the dynamic, complex, whole-organism pathophysiology of cancer. Spread of
cancer cells beyond the primary tumor site is the cause of the majority of cancer deaths and the most
overt expression of cancer's complex evolutionary dynamics. Intimately related to the intricate
processes of development and immunity, the transition from locally invasive to metastatic cancer poses
a major scientific hurdle. Recent technological and computational advancements, pioneered by our
team enable dynamic, multi-dimensional, multi-planar analysis of multiple tissues. Applying these
advances to the most lethal cancers in the US: Lung Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer and CNS metastases,
we will generate a Human Tissue Atlas with unprecedented spatial-temporal resolution. This
multidisciplinary effort begins with an unparalleled array of human tissues and clinical data acquired by
our Biospecimen Unit team. These high-quality biospecimens will be obtained from lung cancer,
pancreatic cancer and CNS metastases obtained from surgical resections, biopsy or autopsy. The Data
Analysis Unit will then subject these specimens will be subjected to multi-dimensional analysis including
bulk DNA sequencing, single cell and single nuclear RNA sequencing, as well as architecturally-
sensitive analyses including MIBI (protein) and MERFISH (RNA) technologies. Driven by revolutionary
computational and systems biologists, integration and presentation of these datasets will be undertaken
by the Characterization Unit, with the goal of generating authoritative human tumor atlases of value to
the entire cancer research community.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10001468
- **Project number:** 5U2CCA233284-03
- **Recipient organization:** SLOAN-KETTERING INST CAN RESEARCH
- **Principal Investigator:** Christine A Iacobuzio-Donahue
- **Activity code:** U2C (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $2,665,572
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-30 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10001468

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10001468, Transition to Metastatic State: Lung Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer and Brain Metastasis (5U2CCA233284-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10001468. Licensed CC0.

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