Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Cancer Institute awarded a $653,568 Project Grant to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Office of Research Administration for the period July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2031 under the Cancer Treatment Research program (CFDA 93.395). The award supports research aimed at enhancing antitumor immunity through pharmacologic modulation of T-cell-mediated cytotoxicity. The project addresses a critical bottleneck in current immunotherapy approaches—namely, that naturally occurring T cells targeting tumor-associated antigens and neoantigens often exhibit low to intermediate affinity and weak antitumor activity. UCLA researchers developed a drug screening platform to identify pharmaceutical candidates that enhance T-cell antitumor activity. Two lead drug candidates were identified: one that increases target-specific T-cell activation and cytotoxicity and enhances the antitumor activity of T-cell receptor (TCR) engineered T cells and immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) in vivo, and another that sensitizes tumor cells to T-cell-mediated killing without directly impacting T-cell activity.

This research has direct translational significance for improving cancer treatment outcomes by offering a pharmacologic alternative to complex genetic modification approaches. The funding supports fundamental and applied laboratory research that aligns with the Cancer Treatment Research program's objective to develop improved cancer treatment methods through support of both basic and clinical research across multiple therapeutic modalities, including biological therapy and molecularly targeted therapies.