The long term goal of this career development award is to establish the candidate, Dr. C. Marcela Diaz-Montero, as an independent translational scientist. To achieve this goal, the candidate, concurrently with her mentors, has designed a comprehensive training plan that includes research and extramural funding mentoring, as well as an educational component on the design, implementation and conduct of clinical trials. The candidate's research interests focus on enhancing the activity of T lymphocytes for adoptive cell therapy. She has made the novel observation that antigen-dependent activation of CD8+ T cells in the presence of IL-12 results in the accumulation of a subpopulation of T cells with an early-activated phenotype (TEA). In vivo, TEA show augmented survival and increased anti-tumor activity. Based on these observations, it is hypothesized that TEA have an enhanced ability to reach secondary lymphoid organs;and that their immature phenotype allows them to progress through the activation process under optimal stimulatory conditions resulting in effector cells with stronger anti-tumor capabilities and superior immunologic memory. To test this hypothesis the following specific aims are being proposed: 1) Define the contribution of homing to the lymph node to the survival and maturation of transferred TEA;2) Ascertain if enhanced survival of TEA is due to their plasticity conferring a competitive advantage for cytokine sinks;3) Determine the impact of enhanced TEA on the generation of T cell memory;4) Test the impact of activation in the presence of IL-12 on the phenotypic and functional characteristics of human TCR transduced T cells. A better understanding of the programming and differentiation of CD8+ T cells will allow us to identify the subset best fitted for ACT therapy for cancer and to design effective strategies that enhance the generation and survival of this subset. In addition, these studies represent the foundation for the candidate's research program that through close mentorship will develop into a state of the art, extramurally funded program in cancer immunotherapy. The mentors, Dr. Joseph Rosenblatt and Dr. Eli Gilboa, are experts in the field of cancer immunology and adoptive cell therapy with extensive mentorship experience. In addition, the University of Miami has made a significant investment in the candidate, which reflects on her potential to achieve her proposed goals. Dr. Diaz-Montero was recruited as part of the Dodson Interdisciplinary Immunotherapy Institute initiative to develop high-impact and broadly useful immune-based treatments. Her recruitment package included start up funds and laboratory space. In summary, this award will provide the candidate protective time to conduct her proposed studies and to fully exploit the outstanding institutional environment available at the University of Miami with the ultimate goal of becoming a successful translational scientist in cancer immunotherapy.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Research Scientist Development Award - Research & Training (K01)
Project #
5K01CA134927-04
Application #
8305696
Study Section
Subcommittee G - Education (NCI)
Program Officer
Ojeifo, John O
Project Start
2009-09-18
Project End
2014-08-31
Budget Start
2012-09-01
Budget End
2013-08-31
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2012
Total Cost
$130,628
Indirect Cost
$9,676
Name
University of Miami School of Medicine
Department
Internal Medicine/Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
052780918
City
Coral Gables
State
FL
Country
United States
Zip Code
33146
Najjar, Yana G; Rayman, Patricia; Jia, Xuefei et al. (2017) Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cell Subset Accumulation in Renal Cell Carcinoma Parenchyma Is Associated with Intratumoral Expression of IL1?, IL8, CXCL5, and Mip-1?. Clin Cancer Res 23:2346-2355
Diaz, Claudia Marcela; Chiappori, Alberto; Aurisicchio, Luigi et al. (2013) Phase 1 studies of the safety and immunogenicity of electroporated HER2/CEA DNA vaccine followed by adenoviral boost immunization in patients with solid tumors. J Transl Med 11:62
Díaz-Montero, C Marcela; Zidan, Abdel-Aziz; Pallin, Maria F et al. (2013) Understanding the biology of ex vivo-expanded CD8 T cells for adoptive cell therapy: role of CD62L. Immunol Res 57:23-33
Diaz-Montero, C Marcela; Wang, Yong; Shao, Lijian et al. (2012) The glutathione disulfide mimetic NOV-002 inhibits cyclophosphamide-induced hematopoietic and immune suppression by reducing oxidative stress. Free Radic Biol Med 52:1560-8
Mehrotra, Shikhar; Al-Khami, Amir A; Klarquist, Jared et al. (2012) A coreceptor-independent transgenic human TCR mediates anti-tumor and anti-self immunity in mice. J Immunol 189:1627-38
Solito, Samantha; Falisi, Erika; Diaz-Montero, Claudia Marcela et al. (2011) A human promyelocytic-like population is responsible for the immune suppression mediated by myeloid-derived suppressor cells. Blood 118:2254-65
Díaz-Montero, C Marcela; Naga, Osama; Zidan, Abdel-Aziz A et al. (2011) Synergy of brief activation of CD8 T-cells in the presence of IL-12 and adoptive transfer into lymphopenic hosts promotes tumor clearance and anti-tumor memory. Am J Cancer Res 1:882-96