The overall goal of the Cancer and Immunity Program is to provide new scientific insights into the relationships between immune system and tumors and to define target molecules and strategies for new immune-based therapies for cancer. Specific scientific goals of the Cancer and Immunity Program are: (1) to explore the relationship between tumors and leukocytes in mouse models of cancer to gain insights into the ability of the immune system to promote or deter tumorigenesis;(2) to use mouse models of cancer for preclinical studies of novel immune-based therapies, such as blocking newly discovered inhibitory regulators of the immune system, and therapeutic vaccines;(3) to identify molecules in the immune system that regulate the ability of the innate and adaptive immune system to mediate anti-tumor activity, without eliciting severe autoimmunity;(4) to define signaling pathways through immune receptors affecting cell survival and apoptosis, which may serve as therapeutic targets for cancer;(5) to study the relationship between viral infections and malignancy, particularly in immunodeficient patients with HIV infection, and to develop new approaches to the prevention and treatment of malignancy in this population;and (6) to conduct clinical trials of new immune-based immunotherapeutics in cancer, with a focus on prostate cancer, and study the immune response in individual undergoing therapy to potentially identify new targets for antigen-specific therapeutic vaccines. The Program consists of 25 faculty from 11 departments in the School of Medicine. The Program has $20,640,449 Total peer reviewed support for the last budget year. The Program has 5% intra-programmatic and 30% inter-programmatic publications.
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