Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) awarded $943,253 to The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco on January 15, 2026, under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders (CFDA 93.853) program. This Project Grant supports preclinical research and development of breakthrough immunotherapy approaches for brain tumors, specifically malignant glioma. The research integrates multiple immune mechanisms and cell-engineering strategies to overcome critical challenges in brain tumor immunology, including antigen heterogeneity, T-cell exhaustion, central nervous system immunological privilege, and tumor-related immunosuppression. The project will develop novel neo-junction-targeting T-cell receptor (TCR)-T cell-based immunotherapy by leveraging an established pipeline for T-cell epitope prediction and alternative splicing event identification, as well as develop cell therapies utilizing allogeneic induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and in vivo transduction approaches.

The research will be conducted at UCSF's San Francisco, California facility through November 30, 2033, and involves collaboration with multiple investigators across diverse disciplines to advance immunotherapy strategies for brain malignancy patients. The project aims to produce safer and more effective immunotherapy solutions by addressing heterogeneous antigen expression and unique challenges specific to brain tumor immunology through integrated cell-engineering and antigen-targeting methodologies. Findings from this preclinical development work are intended to inform clinical trials and advance treatment options for glioma patients.