Award
National Cancer Institute 5R01CA266172-05
DNA damage response and cancer immunity
Recipient
University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
Award Amount
$461,897.00
Ceiling
$461,897.00
Awarded
July 07, 2026
Identifier
5R01CA266172-05
This NIH-funded project studies the use of DNA damage response inhibitors to enhance cancer cell killing and immune response post-radiation therapy, focusing on cell cycle kinetics, DNA damage, and immunologic memory in cancer and immune cells.
Description
The project aims to determine how DNA damage response inhibitors (DDRi) can potentiate cancer cell killing and increase anti-tumor immune responses after radiation therapy. It investigates the rewiring of the DNA Damage Response in CD8+ T cells and the impact of DDRi on cancer and immune cells using a transplantable cancer model with Mcm4Chaos3/Chaos3 mice. Objectives include defining cell cycle kinetics and DNA damage induction, determining DNA damage and type I interferons in immune cells, and assessing ATR inhibitors combined with radiation therapy for durable responses and immunologic memory.