Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Cancer Institute awarded a $671,252 Project Grant to Sloan-Kettering Institute For Cancer Research under the Cancer Biology Research program (CFDA 93.396) to investigate the mechanisms of anti-tumor immunity mediated by immune cell triads. The research project, effective from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2031, will advance fundamental understanding of how CD4 T cells, CD8 T cells, and dendritic cells must spatially organize and interact within tumors to generate effective anti-tumor responses. Specifically, the research will characterize the transcription factors, polarization states, and receptor-ligand interactions required for CD4 T cell effector function within these triads, with the goal of overcoming CD8 T cell dysfunction and exhaustion that typically limits cancer immunotherapy efficacy.

The grant deliverables include preclinical research findings, mechanistic insights into immune cell coordination, and translational knowledge that could inform development of enhanced immunotherapeutic approaches. Preliminary work has demonstrated that triad formation is associated with clinical responses in cancer patients receiving immune checkpoint blockade therapy. This basic science research aligns with the Cancer Biology Research program's objectives to provide fundamental information on cancer causation and nature with the expectation of improving prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment methods for neoplastic diseases, with particular emphasis on cancer immunology mechanisms.