Project Grant W81XWH1810327

The University of Louisville Office of Research & Innovation has been awarded a $402,401 Project Grant from the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Cause and Prevention Research program (CFDA 93.393). The grant will fund the development and investigation of a lung cancer vaccine based on exosomes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) expressing the immunostimulatory cytokine GM-CSF (iPSC-EXO). The research aims to prevent lung tumorigenesis by triggering CD8+ T cell-mediated...

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) awarded a 3-year, $183,398 Project Grant under the Cancer Research Manpower (CFDA 93.398) program to The Ohio State University (OSU) to investigate the role of tumor hypoxia (low oxygen) in suppressing immune responses in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The project aims to elucidate the mechanisms by which hypoxia induces "immune privilege" in NSCLC tumors, leading to treatment resistance. The researchers will evaluate the use of mitochondrial...

This Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.398 - Cancer Research Manpower) provides $107,948.00 to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai to investigate the role of the interferon gamma (IFNγ) signaling pathway in the tumor microenvironment and its impact on tumor immunity and response to immune checkpoint blockade therapy in non-small cell lung cancer. The key objectives are to: 1) Examine how knockout of the SOCS1 gene, a negative regulator of the IFNγ pathway,...

The National Cancer Institute awarded a Project Grant (CFDA 93.395 - Cancer Treatment Research) to the Regents of the University of Michigan in the amount of $577,293 to develop and test multivalent small circular mRNA (circRNA) vaccines for melanoma combination immunotherapy. The objective is to generate potent and durable antitumor immunity through the circRNA vaccines, which are designed to overcome limitations of current mRNA vaccines such as low stability and bioavailability. The research...

This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), provides $939,084.00 to investigate how VARICELLA ZOSTER VIRUS (VZV) infected sensory neurons release non-infectious exosomes that may contribute to the suppression of antiviral immune responses and induce inflammation in other cell types. The project aims to: (1) Determine the pathogenic contents of exosomes released from...

This Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.396 - Cancer Biology Research) to the University of Colorado-Denver is focused on investigating how respiratory viral infections, such as influenza and SARS-CoV-2, can promote the awakening and expansion of dormant disseminated cancer cells (DCC) in the lungs, leading to increased metastatic disease progression. The $1,344,022 award, valid from March 1, 2025 to February 28, 2030, aims to determine the mechanisms by which...

This Cooperative Agreement award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.396 - Cancer Biology Research) provides funding to develop and test novel vaccine platforms against Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) infection. The $1,979,806 award to the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University supports two key objectives: Testing three different vaccine platforms targeting KSHV antigens, including recombinant measles virus (rMEV) and recombinant...

This Project Grant award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under the Biomedical Research and Research Training Program (CFDA 93.859) provides $248,999 to the University of Virginia to investigate the role of mitochondrial-endoplasmic reticulum (ER) contact sites (MERCs) in regulating mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) release and innate immune responses to viral infections. The key objectives are to examine whether MERCs stimulate mtDNA release during herpes simplex...

This Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.396 Cancer Biology Research) aims to elucidate how the oncogene MYCN rewires the metabolic environment of neuroblastoma tumors to drive immune suppression, and to modulate the metabolic environment to enhance immune-based approaches for high-risk, MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma. The 5-year, $431,968 award to Baylor College of Medicine will leverage unbiased transcriptomics, metabolomics, and immune profiling of mouse models to...

This federal Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.396 - Cancer Biology Research) provides $649,679.00 to The Institute For Cancer Research to conduct research on targeting the DHX9 protein to trigger viral mimicry and enhance immunotherapy responsiveness in small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The key objectives are to: 1) Determine the role of DHX9 in inducing double-stranded RNAs and RNA-DNA hybrids that can activate antiviral signaling and compromise genome stability in...