Immunological Mechanisms in Cancer

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IMMUNOLOGICAL MECHANISMS IN CANCER PROGRAM The Immunological Mechanisms in Cancer Program comprises nineteen investigators from six academic departments. The primary objectives of the IMC Program are 1) to create a strong, intellectual and highly interactive scientific environment in which the functioning of the immune system as it relates to the cancer problem can be imaginatively and efficiently investigated; and 2) to foster, through intra- and inter-programmatic collaboration, the translation of the knowledge gained from these studies to the development of approaches for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The interests of the faculty are varied but the program is unified by four main themes: 1) to improve our understanding of the molecular and cellular basis for the development hematopoietic malignancies; 2) to elucidate the nature of tumor antigen recognition and response to tumors by the immune system, thereby supporting development of immunotherapeutic approaches to cancer; 3) to investigate the role of viruses in the development of cancer and cancer therapies; and 4) to create improvements in bone marrow transplantation approaches for the treatment of hematopoietic malignancies. Of the nineteen program members, eighteen have been funded through peer-reviewed awards. Current NCI and total peer review support for this program total approximately 1.8 and 8.2 million dollars, respectively. In the previous funding period, program members published 150 cancer-relevant papers, 14 and 20 percent of which resulted from intra, and inter-programmatic collaborations, respectively. Collaborations between members of this and other programs in the Kimmel Cancer Center have contributed to the production of reagents and analysis of preclinical models for testing novel therapies that have resulted in clinical trials. The expertise and the insight provided by members of the program is of increasing importance to the center for the definition of both functional and molecular aspects of the host-tumor interaction. Further development of the program is planned in the areas of tumor immunology and the immunobiology of dendritic cells.