Project Grant R43CA314457
- The National Cancer Institute awarded the University of California, San Diego $420,505 on April 1, 2026, under the Cancer Treatment Research program (CFDA 93.395) to study bioengineered plant virus-based adjuvants as immunotherapeutics, specifically investigating cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) as a training agent for innate immunity in cancer and infectious disease contexts. The research centers on elucidating the mechanism by which CPMV induces trained immunity—a durable innate immune stimulation...
- The National Cancer Institute, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, awarded Vortex Therapeutics Inc. $3.347 million on September 12, 2025, under the Cancer Treatment Research program (CFDA 93.395) to develop small-molecule MYC inhibitors for cancer therapy. The recipient is developing direct small-molecule inhibitors targeting MYC proteins (C-MYC, N-MYC, and L-MYC), which are oncogenic drivers implicated in at least 70 percent of all human cancers and are particularly...
- The National Cancer Institute awarded Gigamune Inc. $800,000 on September 15, 2025, under the Cancer Treatment Research program (CFDA 93.395) to develop a novel lentivector for enhanced in vivo delivery of T cell receptors for cell therapy targeting stage IV melanoma. The research project, titled "A Novel Lentivector for Enhanced In Vivo Delivery of T Cell Receptors for Cell Therapy for Stage IV Melanoma" and led by principal investigator David Scott Johnson, Ph.D., aims to create an...
- Federal Grant Award Summary The National Cancer Institute awarded Vaxiion Therapeutics, LLC a $306,265 Project Grant on September 16, 2025, under the Cancer Treatment Research program (CFDA 93.395) to support preclinical development of VAX024, a novel targeted oncolytic immunotherapy agent. VAX024 combines a recombinant bacterial minicell (RBMC) delivery platform with a stimulator of interferon genes (STING) agonist, designed to function as an in situ immunization agent for STING-positive...
- Federal Project Grant Award Summary Vivere Oncotherapies, Inc. received a $306,871 Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute under the Cancer Treatment Research program (CFDA 93.395) on September 5, 2025, to support the clinical translation of OV-151, an evolved oncolytic virotherapy product for colorectal cancer treatment. The award funds three primary research objectives: characterizing the delivery properties of the lead clinical vector to tumors in both in vitro and in vivo...
- The National Cancer Institute, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, awarded $606,950 to Pulse Biosciences, Inc., on September 15, 2025, under the Cancer Treatment Research program (CFDA 93.395) to develop a minimally invasive pancreatic cancer treatment combining nanosecond electric pulses and immune system stimulants. The project aims to develop a two-component treatment for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) that employs endoscopic ultrasound guidance to deliver nanosecond...
- The National Cancer Institute awarded Vivosphere LLC $350,000 on August 1, 2026, under the Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research program (CFDA 93.394) for development of vivospheres as an oncology platform for colorectal cancer modeling and drug screening. Vivospheres are cell-laden hydrogel microspheres produced using a patented microfluidic encapsulation platform to create physiologically relevant, high-throughput screening-adaptable three-dimensional cancer models. Unlike existing...
- The National Cancer Institute awarded Cytoagents Inc. $1,313,567 on September 22, 2025, under the Cancer Treatment Research program (CFDA 93.395) to develop and advance CTO1681, a pharmaceutical compound designed to prevent and mitigate cytokine release syndrome in multiple myeloma patients receiving CAR T-cell therapy. CTO1681 is an orally available compound that reduces transcription of proinflammatory cytokines implicated in cytokine release syndrome, a severe systemic inflammatory response...
- The National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health within the Department of Health and Human Services, awarded $3.439 million to Mucommune LLC on September 16, 2025, under the Cancer Treatment Research program (CFDA 93.395) to develop in vivo-engineered B7-H3 CAR-T cells for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma immunotherapy. Mucommune is developing a novel platform that transduces circulating T-cells in vivo using a Nipah lentiviral vector with retargeted tropism, combined...
- The National Cancer Institute awarded Shasqi Inc. $3.330432 million on September 25, 2025, under the Cancer Treatment Research program (CFDA 93.395) to develop and advance its Click Activated Protodrugs Against Cancer (CAPAC) platform for CEACAM5-targeted activation of chemotherapeutics via bioorthogonal click chemistry. Shasqi is developing a two-component system that uses bioorthogonal click chemistry to activate potent cytotoxic drugs precisely at tumor sites, thereby improving therapeutic...
The National Cancer Institute awarded Plantiosx Inc. $406,500 under the Small Business Innovation Research program on September 1, 2026, to develop manufacturing infrastructure for cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) intratumoral immunotherapy in solid tumors. The award funds Phase I research to advance CPMV toward clinical trials for cancer treatment. Plantiosx will establish a qualified cowpea seed bank—certified, tested for viral infectivity and contamination, and stored as traceable sub-lots—to serve as raw material for upstream CPMV production via molecular farming. The recipient will also transfer production technology from academic collaborators to establish a research CPMV bank at Plantiosx, propagating and purifying CPMV under validated protocols and characterizing it to enable future scale-up for clinical manufacturing. These efforts support chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) and IND-enabling toxicology studies. CPMV, a non-infectious plant virus, has demonstrated efficacy in murine cancer models and canine clinical trials as an intratumoral immunotherapy that reverses tumor-mediated immune suppression and triggers systemic anti-tumor immunity. Plantiosx identified PX101 (CPMV) as the clinical lead. Work is performed in San Diego, California, with a period of performance from September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027. The funding falls under CFDA 93.395, Cancer Treatment Research, which supports development and evaluation of improved cancer treatment methods including biological therapy and molecularly targeted therapies.
Mod # | Description | ReasonForModification | Federal Obligation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not listed | $406.5k | 8/21/26 |