# Investigation of a mitochondria-associated metastasis regulatory mechanism

> **NIH NIH R01** · MAYO CLINIC ROCHESTER · 2021 · $363,713

## Abstract

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, and more than 150,000
Americans die of lung cancer each year. Despite our best treatment, efforts to cure lung cancer have failed in
most cases, partly due to an insufficient understanding of the biology of metastasis, which almost inevitably leads
to lung cancer death. Therefore, understanding better the mechanism regulating metastasis will allow us to gain
deeper insights into the disease basis, on which novel therapeutic strategies for treating metastatic lung cancer
can be developed and tested. On the basis of our preliminary studies, we posit that an autophagy related gene
plays a critical role in the regulation of lung cancer metastasis through a novel mitochondria associated
mechanism. The primary objectives of this proposal are to determine whether manipulating the expression of this
gene or its mitochondria associated function can inhibit the dissemination of lung cancer. As such, our studies
not only reveal a new basic mechanism for lung cancer, but have translational potentials. Because there are
about 2 million new lung cancer cases each year globally (World Health Organization statistics), our studies may
have a major impact on public health.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10209266
- **Project number:** 1R01CA247929-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** MAYO CLINIC ROCHESTER
- **Principal Investigator:** MARK A. MC NIVEN
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $363,713
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10209266

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10209266, Investigation of a mitochondria-associated metastasis regulatory mechanism (1R01CA247929-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10209266. Licensed CC0.

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