Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill received a $656,285 Project Grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) under the Cancer Cause and Prevention Research program (CFDA 93.393) awarded June 22, 2026, with an ultimate completion date of May 31, 2031. This award funds research to investigate incretin mimetics—specifically semaglutide and tirzepatide, two FDA-approved weight-loss medications—as potential interventions to prevent obesity-related cancers, including endometrial cancer and colorectal cancer. The research combines preclinical studies using mouse models of obesity-associated cancers with translational work involving a cohort of women at high risk for endometrial cancer undergoing medically supervised weight loss.

The deliverables include characterization of the immunologic, molecular, metabolic, and anticancer effects of the two incretin mimetics across multiple mouse cancer models; mechanistic validation of CD8+ T cell involvement in the drugs' anticancer activity; and establishment of concordance between preclinical findings and clinical outcomes in the human cohort. The project employs complementary research approaches integrating robust informatics, state-of-the-art molecular and immunologic assays, and a transdisciplinary team to elucidate how these medications may protect against obesity-related cancers through direct immunomodulatory effects and systemic metabolic changes, particularly involving leptin regulation.