The Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis (TMM) Program was launched in 2012 to bring together a multidisciplinary team of cutting-edge immunologists and cancer biologists under a synergistic and collaborative scientific umbrella. This initiative provides for the natural evolution of the former Immunology Program that was dissolved at the end of 2011 as part of the strategic reorganization of the Cancer Center. The TMM Program comprises ten investigators with experimental interests aligned along three major flagship themes: Immunoregulation ofthe tumor microenvironment (i); Pathophysiology of metastasis (ii); and Bi-directional interaction between tumor and non-cancerous cells and their products (iii). The overarching goal of the TMM Program is to merge basic mechanistic understanding of multidisciplinary pathways of host-tumor interactions and metastatic dissemination with novel translational opportunities for disease diagnosis and (immuno)therapy. Despite the Program's recent inception, its integrated research platform has produced successful faculty recruitment, opened new opportunities for graduate education in cancer biology, considerably enhanced cancer focus, and developed extensive inter-programmatic and collaborative advances in the biology of metastasis, host-tumor cell crosstalk and immune modulation of tumor onset and progression. In terms of disease-relevance, TMM Program members are leading the development of a newly launched Ovarian Cancer Research Continuum Signature, a disease site-specific inter-programmatic initiative designed to merge basic, translational and patient oriented cancer research in a single scientific continuum. As of 2013, the TMM Program is expected to leverage a strong NCI funding base of $2.3 million, a total cancer-related peer-reviewed funding of $3.4 million (all direct costs), and currently lists 83 cancer-relevant publications, of which 29% are intra- and inter-programmatic collaborations, and 89% are inter-institutional collaborations. Building on these accomplishments, the TMM Program is on a steep, upward trajectory of research impact, scientific collaboration, and translational opportunities that leverage successful inter-institutional outreach partnerships as well as technological advances in key Shared Resources. During the next budget period, the TMM Program is ideally poised to significantly contribute to the Cancer Center's overarching mission in the continuum of cancer research by expanding scientific themes in the areas of metastatic competency and translational tumor immunology.

Public Health Relevance

The ability of tumor cells to thrive in vivo largely depends on the exploitation of cells and tissues that surround them, referred to as the microenvironment. Understanding how this immunosuppressive, proangiogenic, and pro-metastatic microenvironment is orchestrated to drive malignant progression may open new therapeutic prospects for patients with advanced and disseminated disease.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Center Core Grants (P30)
Project #
5P30CA010815-49
Application #
9438872
Study Section
Subcommittee I - Transistion to Independence (NCI)
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2018-03-01
Budget End
2019-02-28
Support Year
49
Fiscal Year
2018
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Wistar Institute
Department
Type
DUNS #
075524595
City
Philadelphia
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
19104
Li, Heng; Wang, Zhize; Xiao, Wei et al. (2018) Androgen-receptor splice variant-7-positive prostate cancer: a novel molecular subtype with markedly worse androgen-deprivation therapy outcomes in newly diagnosed patients. Mod Pathol 31:198-208
Shastrula, Prashanth K; Rice, Cory T; Wang, Zhuo et al. (2018) Structural and functional analysis of an OB-fold in human Ctc1 implicated in telomere maintenance and bone marrow syndromes. Nucleic Acids Res 46:972-984
Duperret, Elizabeth K; Trautz, Aspen; Ammons, Dylan et al. (2018) Alteration of the Tumor Stroma Using a Consensus DNA Vaccine Targeting Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP) Synergizes with Antitumor Vaccine Therapy in Mice. Clin Cancer Res 24:1190-1201
Heppt, Markus V; Wang, Joshua X; Hristova, Denitsa M et al. (2018) MSX1-Induced Neural Crest-Like Reprogramming Promotes Melanoma Progression. J Invest Dermatol 138:141-149
Wu, Shuai; Fatkhutdinov, Nail; Fukumoto, Takeshi et al. (2018) SWI/SNF catalytic subunits' switch drives resistance to EZH2 inhibitors in ARID1A-mutated cells. Nat Commun 9:4116
Ecker, Brett L; Kaur, Amanpreet; Douglass, Stephen M et al. (2018) Age-Related Changes in HAPLN1 Increase Lymphatic Permeability and Affect Routes of Melanoma Metastasis. Cancer Discov :
Abdel-Mohsen, Mohamed; Kuri-Cervantes, Leticia; Grau-Exposito, Judith et al. (2018) CD32 is expressed on cells with transcriptionally active HIV but does not enrich for HIV DNA in resting T cells. Sci Transl Med 10:
Fukumoto, Takeshi; Magno, Elizabeth; Zhang, Rugang (2018) SWI/SNF Complexes in Ovarian Cancer: Mechanistic Insights and Therapeutic Implications. Mol Cancer Res 16:1819-1825
Cañadas, Israel; Thummalapalli, Rohit; Kim, Jong Wook et al. (2018) Tumor innate immunity primed by specific interferon-stimulated endogenous retroviruses. Nat Med 24:1143-1150
Basu, Subhasree; Gnanapradeepan, Keerthana; Barnoud, Thibaut et al. (2018) Mutant p53 controls tumor metabolism and metastasis by regulating PGC-1?. Genes Dev 32:230-243

Showing the most recent 10 out of 741 publications