Tumor Immunology

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The Tumor Immunology Program Area is composed of 34 members, spanning 14 Departments within UCLA. In the past competing cycle, investigators from this Program authored 536 publications, of which 271 (51%) were inter-programmatic and 119 (22%) intra-programmatic. 175 (33%) were placed in high-impact journals. 22 members of this Program Area used 8 out of the 8 Shared Resources that are currently funded by the JCCC. During the current funding year, peer-reviewed funding totaled $20M in total costs, including $3.6M from the National Cancer Institute. As with other Program Areas, JCCC fosters a number of interactive activities and many of the Shared Resources that support investigators in the Tl Program Area. During the current grant cycle, funds from the JCCC in the form of CCSG Developmental Funds, institutional support and philanthropic gifts to the Tl Program Area total $1,750,995. These funds supported Interdisciplinary Grants, Seed Grants, recruitment/retention, Program Area Leadership support, funding for the use of emerging Shared Resources and trainees. Seventeen of the Program Area Members were the recipients of JCCC support. The Tumor Immunology Program Area has as its main goals: (1) to provide an optimal interactive environment to enhance the understanding of tumor immunology and (2) to develop novel immune-based clinical therapies. This program brings basic and translational scientists together into an environment that has spawned novel investigator-initiated immunotherapy clinical trials for melanoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, and brain cancers. The Tumor Immunology PA interacts with other JCCC Program Areas to facilitate immunotherapy clinical trials in lung cancer (Thoracic Oncology) and renal cell carcinoma (Genitourinary Oncology). The main areas of established intra- and inter-programmatic research include: (1) testing of dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccine approaches for cancer; (2) genetic engineering of T-lymphocytes and their precursors with T-cell receptors (TCR) to engineer a cancer-directed immune system; (3) non-invasive in vivo imaging of tumor antigenspecific T-cell in vivo distribution and tumor targeting; (4) the relationship between inflammation and cancer; (5) the use of antibody fusion proteins for cancer therapy; and (6) pharmacological strategies to sensitize cancer cells to immunotherapy. Emerging areas of highly collaborative intra-programmatic research include a broad interaction with the Thoracic Oncology and Women's Cancers Program Areas to jointly develop novel tumor immunology approaches, and the application of basic research on T-cell aging, T- regulatory (Treg) cell biology, immune transcriptional regulators, and vitamin D biology to models of tumor immunology. The basic and translational research within the Tumor Immunology Program Area uses nearly all the JCCC infrastructure and Shared Resources for its ongoing research efforts. The Flow Cytometry Shared Resource has been required for most (if not all) research projects within the Program Area. The Small Animal Imaging Shared Resource has made possible the pursuit of successful projects in T-cell imaging, projects that are now being brought from preclinical models to patients.