Immunology & Cancer Immunotherapy (ICI)

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Project Summary/Abstract: Immunology and Cancer Immunotherapy (ICI) The overall goal of the Immunology and Cancer Immunotherapy (ICI) Program is to unite the efforts of basic and clinical immunologists to explore the immune system's impact on cancer development and progression, to develop novel strategies that use immunity to treat cancer, and to conduct clinical trials to test novel therapeutics and approaches to improve patient outcomes and increase overall survival. There are twenty-one members from six different academic departments and two professional schools. The current focus and initiatives of the ICI scientists are centered on three themes: Immune regulation, Immune effector mechanisms, and Translational immunotherapy. The immunotherapy approaches are focused on adoptive T cell therapy, vaccination, and immune regulation blockade. While basic research is a key focus, many faculty members actively are involved in translational bench-to-bedside research. Other members are clinicians (hematologists, oncologists or oncologic surgeons) who actively are involved in clinical research and clinical trials. This program joins established and experienced clinical trialists with NCI-funded cancer immunologists to design, execute, and complete Dartmouth-initiated immunotherapy trials in renal cell carcinoma, melanoma, glioblastoma, colorectal carcinoma, multiple myeloma and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. There are extensive collaborations between ICI members around common areas of interest in immunobiology and immunotherapy, as evidenced by joint publications and funded grants. Major contributions of the program to the mission of the NCCC have been the facilitation of new insights into the tumor microenvironment and how this is affected by leukocytes, the development of novel protein and cell therapies, the translation of Dartmouth investigator ideas into clinical trials, and the accrual of patients to these trials. NCCC has made substantial commitment to improving the depth and breadth of research and clinical translation of the ICI program through support of shared resources, financial awards for new pilot grants, and strategic recruitment of new investigators. More than 280 cancer-related articles have been published over the reporting period, with 46 (16%) appearing in high impact journals. Intra-programmatic publications (43=15%) involved 19 of our 22 members, and inter-programmatic publications (66=24%) involved 15 members. Total grant funding for the program currently is $6.4M, of which $5.5M is peer-reviewed and $2.2M is from NCI.