Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York a Project Grant of $452,375 under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to investigate the role of tissue-resident T cells in osteoarthritis and their contribution to inflammatory arthritis induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). The research addresses a critical clinical challenge in cancer immunotherapy, wherein over 50% of patients receiving ICI treatment experience immune-related adverse events (IRAEs), with arthritis affecting approximately 37,742 Americans annually. The grant period runs from February 13, 2026, through January 31, 2028, with the research conducted at Columbia University's Health Sciences Division in New York, NY.

The primary deliverable of this award is fundamental research to elucidate the immunological mechanisms driving ICI-induced arthritis, particularly in patients with pre-existing osteoarthritis. The project examines why osteoarthritis patients demonstrate significantly elevated susceptibility to developing IRAE-arthritis following ICI treatment, focusing on the immunophenotype of synovial T cells and their expression of immune checkpoint markers such as PD-1. This research is intended to yield mechanistic insights that will inform the development of targeted therapeutic interventions capable of mitigating joint inflammation while preserving the anti-tumor inflammatory response essential for cancer treatment efficacy.