This award is for those conducting cell and gene therapy research in solid tumors with preference given to mechanistic studies that promote validation of therapeutic efficacy and help develop IND-enabling proposals that address the following areas:

• Identifying new molecular targets for solid tumors, including neo-antigens in tumor and stroma as immunotherapeutic targets.
• Addressing the challenge of genomic instability, increasing tumor mutational burden, and associated tumor heterogeneity to reduce the possibility of tumor escape.
• Expanding beyond conventional alpha-beta T-cell therapies – identify other cell types including engineered B cells, macrophages, inducible pluripotent stem cells, NKT, and gamma-delta T cells that can be leveraged to promote tumor eradication and control.
• Identifying and prosecuting biomarkers of response and resistance to cell and gene therapies.
• Enhancing our understanding of the disordered tumor microenvironment (TME) and its role in promoting tumor growth, as well as immunosuppression and T-cell exhaustion, and developing novel approaches to diminish the tumor’s ability to limit the efficacy of cell and gene therapy.
• Understanding the influence of the myeloid compartment, targeting macrophages and dendritic cells to regulate tumor immunity.
• Exploiting the epigenetic landscape of cancer as well as the associated functional and defective T cells in cancer.
• Developing oncolytic virotherapy approaches in solid tumors, especially exploiting their potential to convert “cold tumors” into “hot tumors.”
• Developing next-generation synthetic biology systems with more potent effector activity, enhanced durability, and improved safety, compared to earlier cellular therapeutics.