Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of Nebraska Medical Center received a $172,838 Project Grant from the National Institute on Aging under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866) effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2028. The award funds development of novel statistical methods and computational tools to model recurrent adverse cardiovascular events (ACEs) in older adults with cancer receiving immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy. The project addresses a critical clinical gap by developing Bayesian modeling approaches that account for tumor heterogeneity more effectively than existing methods, which often rely on coarse diagnostic categories. Specifically, the research will produce a Bayesian recurrent survival model incorporating latent traits from high-dimensional cancer profile data (Aim 1) and a Bayesian nonparametric model to identify clinically interpretable subphenotypes through joint modeling of recurrent event trajectories and cancer profiles (Aim 2).

In addition to generating new clinical insights through analysis of the Yale retrospective cohort of older adults treated with ICIs, the award will produce publicly available and user-friendly software implementing the proposed methodologies. These deliverables will provide geriatric oncologists and researchers with enhanced monitoring strategies and decision-support tools to better understand and manage the chronic cardiovascular burden associated with cancer immunotherapy in vulnerable older populations.