Award
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research 5R01DE031729-05
Immune Exclusion in Cancer Immunotherapy
Recipient
University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
Award Amount
$604,941.00
Ceiling
$604,941.00
Awarded
August 07, 2026
Identifier
5R01DE031729-05
Research project funded to study p38 MAPK signaling's role in resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors in head and neck cancer, using multi-omics and clinical trial data to improve immunotherapy outcomes.
Description
This project investigates tumor cell-intrinsic p38 MAPK signaling as a new mechanism of resistance to immune-checkpoint inhibitors using multi-omics, spatial data, and clinical trial biopsies in head and neck cancer. It includes bioinformatics analyses and mechanistic experiments to validate observations and identify additional immune-resistance mechanisms for future clinical trials.