# Development of a Novel Method for the Identification and Characterization of Intercellular Communication in the Cancer Niche

> **NIH NIH R03** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2022 · $77,500

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Intercellular interactions and communication between cancer cells the cells that comprise their niches are
critical for many aspects of cancer development, progression, metastasis, and therapy resistance. These
interactions are often dynamic, transient and complex. Moreover, intercellular communication occurs directly
by contact dependent cell-cell interactions and indirectly by the secretion of soluble factors into the local
microenvironment. Current limitations to proximity dependent labeling strategies designed to identify and
characterize direct and indirect cellular interaction partners in vivo include reagents that are toxic and/or limit
the isolation and subsequent characterization of interacting cells, non-specific or large radius labeling (i.e.
direct vs. indirect contacts), or a requirement to pre-engineer both interacting cells which obviates the
possibility of identifying novel cellular interaction partners. Thus, a more ideal in vivo proximity dependent
labeling system would concurrently, but differentially, label both direct and indirect cellular contacts at multiple
timepoints using technology that is compatible with an array of downstream analyses ranging from microscopy
to single cell analyses. In this proposal we will address this shortcoming in current technologies for
comprehensively identifying and characterizing direct and indirect intercellular interactions in vivo. We will build
upon the literature and our preliminary work to develop a novel approach in which an engineered cancer cell,
or other cell of interest, concurrently, differentially and temporally fluorescently labels both direct and indirect
cellular contacts within the cancer niche (Aims 1 and 2). Importantly, labeled cells will be suitable for an array
of downstream analyses such as microscopy, flow cytometry, and cell sorting followed by bulk or single cell
analyses. Accordingly, as proof-of-concept we will then combine this niche labeling technology with single-cell
RNA-seq to begin to define cellular contacts during early stages of central nervous system leukemia
metastasis and niche development (Aim 3).

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10426930
- **Project number:** 1R03CA269701-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** PETER M GORDON
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $77,500
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10426930

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10426930, Development of a Novel Method for the Identification and Characterization of Intercellular Communication in the Cancer Niche (1R03CA269701-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10426930. Licensed CC0.

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