Project Grant R37CA288747

This federal Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.396 - Cancer Biology Research) to the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University provides $935,004.00 in funding to elucidate the mechanisms by which tumors evade T cell-mediated immune destruction. The research aims to decipher how cyclic GMP-AMP signaling via the STING pathway can both positively and negatively regulate antitumor immunity. Specifically, the project will identify mechanisms of cGAMP importation into tumor-infiltrating T cells and the molecular pathways by which STING activation cooperates with T cell receptor signaling to induce T cell pyroptosis. The goal is to develop novel immunotherapies that can block STING-mediated T cell death to improve the efficacy of STING agonist cancer therapies. The project period runs from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2029.