PROGRAM 3 (IMMUNOLOGY AND CANCER)

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The Immunology and Cancer Program (Program 3) has been an integral component of the UCCRC for more than 20 years. It has 19 members from 5 departments, and is supported by a total of $7,660,269 in peer-reviewed funding (annual direct costs), with $2,154,936 from the NCI. Over the past grant period, program members have produced a total of 387 peer-reviewed publications, including 11% that were intraprogrammatic and 15% that were interprogrammatic collaborations. It is well established that tumors can express antigens that can be recognized by specific T cells or antibodies. Established immunologic therapies in the clinic include allogeneic bone marrow or blood stem cell transplantation, the monoclonal antibodies Herceptin and Rituxan, and the cytokines IL-2 and IFN-cc. However, as fundamental knowledge of the immune system continues to increase at a rapid pace, the potential for improving upon existing immune-based therapies, as well as for developing new immunotherapeutic approaches, continues to expand. The overall goals of the Immunology and Cancer Program are to foster the best possible research that has relevance for the cancer setting, to support an environment that brings new immunology concepts into preclinical models of anti-tumor immunity, and to translate fundamental discoveries into clinical application. A major accomplishment of the Program is the expansion of the clinical/translational component. These goals are supported by severa key Core Facilities, in particular the Flow Cytometry, Fitch Monoclonal Antibody, Immunohistochemistry, and the Human Immunologic Monitoring Cores. The Immunology and Cancer Program also depends on the services of the cGMP Facility (a UCCRC developing core) for preparation of clinical-grade immunotherapeutic products for clinical administration. By incorporating detailed scientific endpoint monitoring into clinical studies, new key information is being generated that has led to the development of new hypotheses that can then be interrogated back in the basic laboratory. Thus, the Immunology and Cancer Program has evolved into a clear example of bi-directional translational research.