Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Program

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14.0 Abstract: Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy (TII) Program The TII Program is an interdisciplinary program that pursues highly innovative basic science research and translational/clinical trials. The overall goal of the TII Program is to develop and implement immune-based strategies to monitor and treat cancer. To achieve this goal, the program focuses on three research aims: Aim 1: Cell-based and regulatory pathway-targeted cancer immunotherapies—Develop cell-based and regulatory pathway-targeted cancer immunotherapies that are capable of reducing or monitoring malignant cell growth. Aim 2: Calibrating immune regulation—Develop strategies to overcome tumor-induced immunosuppression and to mitigate immunotherapy-related adverse effects. Aim 3: Cancer and inflammation—Elucidate the roles of infection and inflammatory responses in cancer development. The TII Program is an interdisciplinary research and educational program. Program members are dedicated to understanding the immune regulation of malignant disease and translating this knowledge into the development of novel diagnostic and treatment regimens. The TII Program has 35 members, including 18 full members and 17 associate members, who conduct cancer- focused research supported by $16.6 million annual direct cost funding ($21.7 million total), including $1.9 million (11.2%) from NCI and $10.5 million from other peer-reviewed sources. TII Program members receive $4.3 million annually from non–peer-reviewed funding sources. During this funding period, TII members authored 371 cancer-related publications, of which 15% resulted from intraprogrammatic, 30% from interprogrammatic, and 6% from intra and interprogrammatic collaborations; 64% of publications include collaborations with external investigators, reflecting the high national impact of the TII Program, and 14% of TII publications were in journals with an impact factor ≥10. The research efforts of TII faculty are supported by extensive use of all shared services. The TII Program is integrated with the other research programs at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC) and TII interacts with Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) as a bridge to identify the needs of communities in our catchment area.