R01CA258221
Project Grant
Overview
Grant Description
Impact of Time-Restricted Feeding in Reducing Cancer Risk through Optimizing Mitochondria Function - Project Summary
This application, in response to RFA-CA-004 "Research Answers to National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Provocative Questions (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)," will address "PQ2: How does intermittent fasting affect cancer incidence, treatment response, or outcome?"
Obesity and age are two major risk factors for cancer development. Thus, therapeutic interventions that prevent or delay the development of excessive weight gain and/or age-associated physiological dysfunction hold great promise for reducing cancer risk in the increasingly obese and elderly global population.
One such intervention is time-restricted eating (TRE), a pragmatic form of intermittent fasting in which daily caloric intake is constrained to a consistent window of 8–12 hours without explicitly reducing total caloric intake. In young male mice, time-restricted feeding (TRF) reduces cancer risk by preventing obesity and metabolic diseases. TRF has also been shown to reduce breast cancer xenograft progression in obese mice.
In humans, short-term clinical studies of TRE have revealed metabolic improvements that predict reduced cancer risk, and epidemiological evidence suggests that prolonged nightly fasting can reduce the risk of cancer, independent of changes in body weight. This promising preliminary evidence suggests that TRE may be an effective intervention for reducing cancer risk.
However, the effects of TRF in aged animals and in the context of an obesogenic Western diet have not yet been established, and the mechanisms by which TRF reduces cancer risk remain unknown. This application builds upon promising preliminary data and leverages the complementary skills of the research team to address these critical gaps in knowledge.
Both obesity and aging are associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and the production of pro-tumorigenic mitochondrial metabolites. Proposed experiments test the hypothesis that TRF optimizes mitochondria function through both cell-autonomous and systemic mechanisms, thereby reducing cancer risk.
In Aim 1, the impact of TRF on mitochondria function and related physiologies will be established in aged mice. Nutrient metabolism, energy consumption, and mitochondria function will be assessed in these mice.
In Aim 2, an innovative combination of metabolomics and mitochondria respiration assays will be used to test the impact of TRF on mitochondria function in normal and cancer cells (assessing both cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous mechanisms). The effects of TRF on tumor incidence will be assessed by subjecting tumor-prone mice to TRF.
In Aim 3, plasma collected from a recently concluded human TRE intervention study will be used to test the effect of TRE on mitochondria function and cancer risk in humans. The proposed comparative analysis of TRE in humans and mice will provide critical mechanistic insight into how one form of intermittent fasting can help prevent cancer onset and improve treatment outcomes.
This application, in response to RFA-CA-004 "Research Answers to National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Provocative Questions (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)," will address "PQ2: How does intermittent fasting affect cancer incidence, treatment response, or outcome?"
Obesity and age are two major risk factors for cancer development. Thus, therapeutic interventions that prevent or delay the development of excessive weight gain and/or age-associated physiological dysfunction hold great promise for reducing cancer risk in the increasingly obese and elderly global population.
One such intervention is time-restricted eating (TRE), a pragmatic form of intermittent fasting in which daily caloric intake is constrained to a consistent window of 8–12 hours without explicitly reducing total caloric intake. In young male mice, time-restricted feeding (TRF) reduces cancer risk by preventing obesity and metabolic diseases. TRF has also been shown to reduce breast cancer xenograft progression in obese mice.
In humans, short-term clinical studies of TRE have revealed metabolic improvements that predict reduced cancer risk, and epidemiological evidence suggests that prolonged nightly fasting can reduce the risk of cancer, independent of changes in body weight. This promising preliminary evidence suggests that TRE may be an effective intervention for reducing cancer risk.
However, the effects of TRF in aged animals and in the context of an obesogenic Western diet have not yet been established, and the mechanisms by which TRF reduces cancer risk remain unknown. This application builds upon promising preliminary data and leverages the complementary skills of the research team to address these critical gaps in knowledge.
Both obesity and aging are associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and the production of pro-tumorigenic mitochondrial metabolites. Proposed experiments test the hypothesis that TRF optimizes mitochondria function through both cell-autonomous and systemic mechanisms, thereby reducing cancer risk.
In Aim 1, the impact of TRF on mitochondria function and related physiologies will be established in aged mice. Nutrient metabolism, energy consumption, and mitochondria function will be assessed in these mice.
In Aim 2, an innovative combination of metabolomics and mitochondria respiration assays will be used to test the impact of TRF on mitochondria function in normal and cancer cells (assessing both cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous mechanisms). The effects of TRF on tumor incidence will be assessed by subjecting tumor-prone mice to TRF.
In Aim 3, plasma collected from a recently concluded human TRE intervention study will be used to test the effect of TRE on mitochondria function and cancer risk in humans. The proposed comparative analysis of TRE in humans and mice will provide critical mechanistic insight into how one form of intermittent fasting can help prevent cancer onset and improve treatment outcomes.
Funding Goals
TO IDENTIFY CANCER RISKS AND RISK REDUCTION STRATEGIES, TO IDENTIFY FACTORS THAT CAUSE CANCER IN HUMANS, AND TO DISCOVER AND DEVELOP MECHANISMS FOR CANCER PREVENTION AND PREVENTIVE INTERVENTIONS IN HUMANS. RESEARCH PROGRAMS INCLUDE: (1) CHEMICAL, PHYSICAL AND MOLECULAR CARCINOGENESIS, (2) SCREENING, EARLY DETECTION AND RISK ASSESSMENT, INCLUDING BIOMARKER DISCOVERY, DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION, (3) EPIDEMIOLOGY, (4) NUTRITION AND BIOACTIVE FOOD COMPONENTS, (5) IMMUNOLOGY AND VACCINES, (6) FIELD STUDIES AND STATISTICS, (7) CANCER CHEMOPREVENTION AND INTERCEPTION, (8) PRE-CLINICAL AND CLINICAL AGENT DEVELOPMENT, (9) ORGAN SITE STUDIES AND CLINICAL TRIALS, (10) HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE AND PATIENT-CENTERED OUTCOMES, AND (11) SUPPORTIVE CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF SYMPTOMS AND TOXICITIES. SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM: TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE THE SBIR PROGRAM, TO STIMULATE TECHNICAL INNOVATION, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FUNDING, TO INCREASE SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION IN FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION IN INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP BY WOMEN AND SOCIALLY/ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED PERSONS. SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM: TO STIMULATE AND FOSTER SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION THROUGH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CARRIED OUT BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO FOSTER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER THROUGH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FUNDING, AND FOSTER PARTICIPATION IN INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP BY WOMEN AND SOCIALLY/ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED PERSONS.
Grant Program (CFDA)
Awarding / Funding Agency
Place of Performance
La Jolla,
California
92037
United States
Geographic Scope
Single Zip Code
Related Opportunity
Analysis Notes
Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 404% from $762,137 to $3,842,556.
San Diego, California Salk Institute For Biological Studies was awarded
Mitochondria Optimization via Time-Restricted Feeding for Cancer Risk
Project Grant R01CA258221
worth $3,842,556
from National Cancer Institute in September 2021 with work to be completed primarily in La Jolla California United States.
The grant
has a duration of 5 years and
was awarded through assistance program 93.393 Cancer Cause and Prevention Research.
The Project Grant was awarded through grant opportunity Research Answers to National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Provocative Questions (R01 Clinical Trial Optional).
Status
(Ongoing)
Last Modified 8/20/25
Period of Performance
9/1/21
Start Date
8/31/26
End Date
Funding Split
$3.8M
Federal Obligation
$0.0
Non-Federal Obligation
$3.8M
Total Obligated
Activity Timeline
Transaction History
Modifications to R01CA258221
Additional Detail
Award ID FAIN
R01CA258221
SAI Number
R01CA258221-1172588185
Award ID URI
SAI UNAVAILABLE
Awardee Classifications
Nonprofit With 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other Than An Institution Of Higher Education)
Awarding Office
75NC00 NIH National Cancer Institute
Funding Office
75NC00 NIH National Cancer Institute
Awardee UEI
NNJ6BMBTFGN5
Awardee CAGE
6H867
Performance District
CA-50
Senators
Dianne Feinstein
Alejandro Padilla
Alejandro Padilla
Budget Funding
| Federal Account | Budget Subfunction | Object Class | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Health and Human Services (075-0849) | Health research and training | Grants, subsidies, and contributions (41.0) | $1,449,692 | 88% |
| Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health, Health and Human Services (075-0846) | Health research and training | Grants, subsidies, and contributions (41.0) | $188,434 | 12% |
Modified: 8/20/25