Development and Characterization of Immunotherapies for HPV-Associated Malignancies

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Project Summary/Abstract The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Cervical Cancer Research Lab (CCRL) is focused on developing vaccines and novel immunotherapeutic strategies for the prevention and treatment of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated diseases. Dr. Shiwen Peng is a dedicated Research Specialist and essential member of the CCRL. Dr. Peng has a strong background in immunology, cancer biology, and translational research, with extensive training and experience in vaccine development and HPV-associated cancer immunotherapy. Since he first joined the CCRL as a Research Associated in 2003, Dr. Peng has made numerous contributions towards developing innovative immunotherapies for the prevention and treatment of HPV- associated diseases. Notably, Dr. Peng was the first to develop a DNA vaccine targeting the HPV16 E6 protein and has also collaborated with other lab members and investigators to identify multiple novel strategies to enhance efficacy of immunotherapies, including the delivery of our DNA vaccine via gene gun. This proposal is designed to support Dr. Shiwen Peng’s role on several CCRL research programs, including the development of novel preclinical tumor models of HPV-associated cervical and oropharyngeal cancers, development of human immunological assays intended for translation to human clinical trials, and generation of relevant preclinical data to serve as foundation for further clinical translation. To achieve this goal, Dr. Peng will test immunotherapies for HPV-associated diseases in novel preclinical tumor models to improve cancer immunotherapy for patients and spearhead efforts to develop human immunological assays employed in clinical trials involving HPV-associated cancer patients. To date, Dr. Peng has successfully developed new vaccine candidates, vaccination strategies, and new immunological assays for the evaluation of vaccines in vivo. Dr. Peng has worked closely with Dr. Wu as a co-investigator on the Cervical Cancer SPORE since its inception in 2004. His continued involvement in the CCRL and collaborations with other investigators has allowed him to develop innovative technologies that have contributed to the success of the CCRL. Dr. Peng has the innate ability to design and perform experiments, collaborate with a number of investigators, and intellectually contribute to several grant applications and peer- reviewed publications. He will participate and present in several conferences in order to introduce innovative ideas to the CCRL and enhance his skills, expertise, and knowledge of HPV-associated diseases.