Project Grant R01DE033741

This $701,699 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), administered under the Oral Diseases and Disorders Research (CFDA 93.121) program, will fund research to better understand the relationship between tumor architecture, immune cell infiltration, and the hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal state in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The primary awardee, The General Hospital Corporation (doing business as Massachusetts General Hospital), will leverage advanced imaging approaches, including multiplexed immunohistochemistry, to develop imaging-based biomarkers predicting response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. The project will also involve a sub-award to The Washington University to provide head and neck tumor samples, optimize co-culture experiments, and conduct spatial transcriptomic analyses. The goal is to gain critical insights into the underlying expression states and tumor architecture that drive immune exclusion and the hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal phenotype, ultimately informing the development of new diagnostics and treatments for oral cancers.