Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) awarded Mayo Clinic Jacksonville a $599,699 Project Grant (CFDA 93.853, Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders) effective July 14, 2026, with completion targeted for April 30, 2031. The research deliverables center on developing immunotherapeutic treatments for glioblastoma (GBM), a highly aggressive brain tumor. The project applies a dual-intervention strategy: first, intratumoral administration of bicistronic chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells engineered to target EGFRvIII and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)—delivered via Ommaya reservoir to bypass the blood-brain barrier and eliminate tumor-associated macrophages and residual tumor cells; and second, postoperative administration of patient-derived tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) armored with malic enzyme 1 (ME1) to enhance metabolic fitness and overcome antigen heterogeneity. These therapeutic interventions are designed to exploit the clinical window between surgical resection and standard postoperative treatment.

The research addresses critical barriers to CAR-T immunotherapy efficacy against GBM, including the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and blood-brain barrier penetration. By combining surgically enabled intratumoral delivery with engineered T cell therapies, the project aims to produce validated preclinical and translational data supporting a novel combination immunotherapy regimen for GBM treatment, with potential to advance to clinical evaluation. Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, a major nonprofit research institution with substantial NIH funding history and expertise in cancer immunotherapy and T cell metabolism, serves as the prime awardee for this basic-to-translational research initiative.