Project Grant R43CA239840

This Project Grant award of $640,583 from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) under the Cancer Treatment Research (CFDA 93.395) program supports research by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) to enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy against metastatic colorectal cancer (MCRC). The primary goal is to activate the PPARD-CPT1A axis in CD8+ T cells to boost their metabolic fitness and anti-tumor activity within the immunosuppressive MCRC tumor microenvironment. The research aims to delineate the...

This $641,336 Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.395 - Cancer Treatment Research) to The Ohio State University aims to advance immunotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The project will investigate how disrupting the GARP-TGFbeta axis in the tumor microenvironment using the anti-GARP antibody PIIO-1 can enhance CD8+ T cell function and overcome resistance to immune checkpoint blockade therapy in NSCLC patients. Key objectives include defining how GARP...

This federal Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.395 Cancer Treatment Research) provides $205,700 to the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research to conduct research aimed at understanding and overcoming rapid resistance to targeted therapies in colorectal cancer. The research will evaluate how intrinsic tumor features contribute to the development of resistance, and test a novel combination approach of DNA repair inhibition and targeted therapy to prevent...

This NCI SBIR Phase II award to Synthis Therapeutics, Inc. for $3,157,784 supports the development of SYN101, a novel immune cell-targeted therapy to inhibit TGF-beta signaling in cancer patients. The goal is to improve response rates to cancer immunotherapies by reversing tumor-associated immune suppression. Under this grant, the company will conduct in vivo efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetic studies of SYN101 in humanized mouse tumor models and Sprague Dawley rats. These preclinical studies...

This Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.395 - Cancer Treatment Research) for $1,419,108 will support research to advance the understanding of how a novel neoadjuvant therapy impacts the immune system in patients with solid tumors, using refractory melanoma as a model. The research, led by Emory University, will use surgical tissue specimens from a clinical trial to gain insights into how blocking the SEMA4D signaling pathway in combination with immune checkpoint...

This federal Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), under the Cancer Cause and Prevention Research program (CFDA 93.393), provides $551,848 to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Inc. (DFCI) in Boston, MA to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which the transcription factor SOX9 impairs cell differentiation and drives developmental reprogramming in colorectal cancer (CRC). The research aims to: 1) Use single-cell sequencing analyses to identify regulators of fetal gene...

This Project Grant award of $577,818 from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.395 - Cancer Treatment Research) aims to develop new effective therapeutic combinations to boost the "abscopal effect" and improve clinical outcomes for patients with advanced cancers treated with radiotherapy. The funded research project will: 1) Dissect the mechanisms by which the immune checkpoint molecule B7-H3 impairs CD8 T cell cytotoxicity, using proximity labeling technologies and mouse models, and...

This Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.395 Cancer Treatment Research) provides funding of $695,916 to The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) to evaluate and optimize novel inhibitors of the NSMASE2 enzyme for enhancing the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer treatment. The project aims to synthesize and test PDDC analogs to improve the potency, solubility, and pharmacokinetics of NSMASE2 inhibitors. Promising...

This $674,996 Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.396 - Cancer Biology Research) supports research by the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) to determine if targeting the PSGL-1 checkpoint inhibitor can promote the development and/or maintenance of CD8+ T cells essential for anti-tumor responses to PD-1 immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. The key objectives are to evaluate if PSGL-1 blockade can generate or sustain tumor-specific...

This federal Project Grant award for $716,314.00 from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.395 - Cancer Treatment Research) aims to develop novel therapeutics targeting FGFR2 alterations in gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA). The key products and services to be delivered include: Utilizing novel immune-competent mouse models of FGFR2-altered GEA to develop and test highly efficacious FGFR2 biparatopic antibodies (BIPABs) and FGFR2-targeted antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), alone or in...