Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) awarded a $219,372 Project Grant to Albert Einstein College of Medicine on May 11, 2026, under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders program (CFDA 93.853). This five-year career development and research initiative, scheduled for completion by April 30, 2031, supports a neurosurgeon-scientist's investigation into tumor-mediated immune suppression in glioblastoma (GBM). The research focuses on understanding how tumor-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) reprogram myeloid cells within the glioblastoma microenvironment and identifying novel therapeutic targets to restore immune function. The research will employ multiple methodologies, including investigation of immune checkpoint axes in EV-mediated suppression, disruption of EV-target cell interactions as a therapeutic strategy, and proteomics-based analysis to determine critical pathways for EV release in GBM.

The award supports basic and translational research conducted at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine's Bronx, New York facility, with 50 percent of the investigator's effort dedicated to advancing understanding of mechanisms underlying GBM-mediated immune suppression. Deliverables include characterization of immunomodulatory protein expression patterns, identification of critical immune axes for myeloid cell polarization, and development of novel therapeutic approaches targeting EV-mediated immune suppression. This research builds upon prior work demonstrating that disruption of GBM-EV interactions with monocytes inhibits immunosuppressive myeloid cell induction and reduces T cell inhibition, with potential to advance treatment options for a disease that has seen limited therapeutic advances in recent years.