# Developing new therapeutic strategies against head and neck cancer

> **NIH NIH R01** · SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $436,022

## Abstract

Abstract
Head and neck cancer (HNC) is the sixth most prevalent cancer in the world, and oral cancer is the most
common subtype. The World Health Organization estimates ~330,000 deaths per year globally. The overall
survival rate (50-60%) has not improved over the past couple of decades, despite significant improvements in
surgical procedure, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. The risk factors associated with oral cancer includes
tobacco use, excessive alcohol consumption, betel quid chewing, and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.
HPV infection is likely to be reduced in the future due to successful vaccination and better prognosis. There is
a critical need to define the HNC disease processes, and to identify better therapeutic strategies for successful
HNC patient management. Further, non-traditional therapies must be investigated as adjuncts to reduce the
risk of recurrence and improve survival. In our current funding period, we made several important novel
observations. We showed that bitter melon extract feeding alters c-Met signaling and prevents HNC growth in
preclinical models. We subsequently showed an immunomodulatory role of bitter melon extract, although the
precise mechanism is yet to be determined. Further, we found several long non-coding RNAs are altered in
feeding of bitter melon extract in a carcinogen-induced model. Very recently, we identified momordicine-I, one
of the active metabolites of bitter melon, which shows therapeutic anti-tumor activity in an oral cancer
preclinical model. Although we gained much evidence for bitter melon in prevention of HNC from our and other
studies, considerable knowledge gaps remain in understanding the mechanism of momordicine-I on tumor
metabolism and immune regulation, and its therapeutic use. Based on our and others results, we hypothesize
that combining momordicine-I with other current therapeutics will improve efficacy in tumor regression. We will
also examine the changes in glucose and lipid metabolism and the tumor microenvironment after treatment
with momordicine-I using a mouse model. Results from this study will have important translational implications
and significant benefits along with current therapy.
Innovation: Our study will examine for the first time the therapeutic and mechanistic effects of momordicine-I
in HNC animal models for major translational impact.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10440075
- **Project number:** 2R01DE025141-06
- **Recipient organization:** SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Ratna B. Ray
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $436,022
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2015-02-15 → 2027-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10440075

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10440075, Developing new therapeutic strategies against head and neck cancer (2R01DE025141-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10440075. Licensed CC0.

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