Metabolomic and Genetic Factors Decoupling Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Tumor Efficacy and Cardiovascular Toxicity

External Institution: MD Anderson Cancer Center

External Collaborators: Nicolas Palaskas, MD, MPH; Kevin Nead, MD, MPhil; Michelle Hildebrandt, PhD; Sivareddy Kotia, PhD, MS; Jun-ichi Abe, MD, PhD; Anita Deswai, MD, MPH

FDA Collaborators: Laleh Amiri-Kordestani, MD; Mori Krantz, MD; Abhilasha Nair, MD; Vaibhav Kumar, MD, MS; Olga Souprountchouk, MD, MPH, Daniel Kpormegbey, PhD

Date Started: 9/22/25

Regulatory Science Challenge 

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are a type of cancer treatment that has helped people live longer. However, these medicines can cause heart-related side effects that can be serious. There is a critical need for better ways for doctors to predict who is more likely to develop these serious heart-related side effects. 

Project Goals and Objectives

The objective of this research is to identify risk factors that can identify which cancer patients receiving ICIs are at higher risk of developing heart damage. To do this, the project will: 1) identify markers that can help predict heart damage, understand how the metabolism of certain white blood cells (called macrophages) differs among patients who develop heart damage compared to those who don’t, and 3) find genetic risk factors associated with heart damage from ICIs. Ultimately, this study will identify laboratory tests to predict the likelihood of a patient developing heart damage, laying the foundation to create a grading scale to help cancer doctors (oncologists) make more personalized treatment decisions for their patients. 

For more detailed information on this project, please see this link.