Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center received a $510,671 Project Grant from the National Cancer Institute under the Cancer Cause and Prevention Research program (CFDA 93.393), awarded May 1, 2026, with a completion date of April 30, 2031. This award funds research into the functional characterization of lineage plasticity in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), a highly aggressive bile duct cancer. The project will deliver a comprehensive functional landscape of CCA lineage plasticity through extensive RNA and chromatin data generation, coupled with mechanistic studies, drug vulnerability assessments, and in vivo tumor modeling. Key deliverables include identification of proximal regulators of lineage plasticity through transcription factor perturbation studies and spatial epigenomics analysis; deeper understanding of tumor suppressor genes ARID1A and BAP1 in regulating lineage plasticity, including development of new mouse models; and construction of an integrated lineage plasticity landscape that interconnects sequencing data with functional assays and mouse modeling results.

The research products will serve as a foundational roadmap for future CCA research, enabling identification of new drug targets, chromatin regulatory mechanisms, and therapeutic vulnerabilities that can be projected onto patient data for clinically relevant guidance. The five-year project represents a foundational investment in understanding how cancer cells evade normal developmental programs, with direct applications to improving treatment resistance and therapeutic options for this highly lethal malignancy.