The US Food and Drug Administration recently approved several immunotherapies for the treatment of metastatic melanoma and lung cancer, based on their robust anti-cancer activities. Intense effort to apply immunotherapies for many other cancers, including breast and pancreatic cancers, have not yet met with similar success. Much of the effort has been focused on the study of the biological aspects of different immunotherapeutics, rather than the physical spatio-temporal peculiarities and aberrations of tumors (e.g., poor lymphocyte infiltration), which we believe are key parameters for improving the efficacy of immunotherapies. Recent evidence emphasizes the importance of processes within the tumor microenvironment over systemic pharmacokinetics for therapeutic efficacy. Thus, the impact of transport phenomena on immunotherapeutic efficacy (and therapeutic resistance) should be considered when developing strategies for new immunotherapies. Within this conceptual framework, the proposed Center for Immunotherapeutic Transport Oncophysics (CITO) focuses on: 1) understanding transport limitations of immune cells and immunotherapeutics; 2) establishing a precision immunotherapeutics framework on the basis of transport oncophysics; and 3) exploiting oncophysical transport-based cues for the development of successful personalized immunotherapeutics strategies based on transport phenotypes. Our overarching strategy comprise many innovations, including transport as a resistance for immunotherapies, nanotherapeutic vaccines, biomimetic constructs, precision immunotherapeutics, biodistribution theory, and oncophysics models for transport, biodistribution and tumor growth. The research projects focus on breast and pancreatic cancers, as those are cancer types with significant clinical challenges. In particular, we will determine the transport of Nano-DC vaccines and immune cells, and how they can be modulated to affect immunogenicity and therapeutic efficacy, with primary focus on breast cancer (Project 1). We will also determine the biophysical transport barrier(s) within the pancreatic cancer tumor microenvironment that can be modulated to affect the efficacy of immunotherapies (Project 2). Both projects focus on immune cell transport across many transport-limiting barriers (e.g., lymphatics, stroma, and vascular leakiness). They also share a set of animal models, therapeutic, and adjuvant agents, and they are also supported by the Transport Oncophysics Core (TOC). The CITO's overall objectives for the proposed funding period are: 1) to determine transport properties of immunotherapeutic agents in breast and pancreatic tumors; 2) to establish a predictive computational transport oncophysics framework for cancer immunotherapeutics; 3) to determine the extent of therapeutic resistance caused by therapeutic transport limitations and their evolution during cancer progression; and 4) to optimize and personalize systemic immunotherapeutic strategies based on the results of the first three objectives.

Public Health Relevance

OVERALL ? NARRATIVE Leaders and investigators from three research and medical institutions, Houston Methodist Research Institute, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, have joined expertise and resources to design and propose the Center for Immunotherapeutic Transport Oncophysics (CITO), an integrated research program in physical sciences oncology that will implement highly synergistic strategies to: 1) understand transport limitations of immune cells and immunotherapeutics; 2) establish a precision immunotherapeutics framework on the basis of transport oncophysics; and 3) exploit oncophysical transport-based cues for the development of successful personalized immunotherapeutics strategies based on transport phenotypes. The two research projects of the CITO, supported by the Transport Oncophysics Core, Administrative Core, and the Education and Outreach Unit, will determine the transport phenomena that affect immunotherapies in breast and pancreatic cancers, as those are cancer types with significant clinical challenges. In particular, we will determine the transport of Nano-DC vaccines and immune cells, and how they can be modulated to affect immunogenicity and therapeutic efficacy, with primary focus on breast cancer (Project 1). We will also determine the biophysical transport barrier(s) within the pancreatic cancer tumor microenvironment that can be modulated to affect the efficacy of immunotherapies (Project 2).

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Specialized Center--Cooperative Agreements (U54)
Project #
5U54CA210181-05
Application #
9997825
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZCA1)
Project Start
2016-08-29
Project End
2021-07-31
Budget Start
2020-08-01
Budget End
2021-07-31
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2020
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Methodist Hospital Research Institute
Department
Type
DUNS #
185641052
City
Houston
State
TX
Country
United States
Zip Code
77030
Du, Wenting; Brekken, Rolf A (2018) Does Axl have potential as a therapeutic target in pancreatic cancer? Expert Opin Ther Targets 22:955-966
Koay, Eugene J; Lee, Yeonju; Cristini, Vittorio et al. (2018) A Visually Apparent and Quantifiable CT Imaging Feature Identifies Biophysical Subtypes of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Clin Cancer Res 24:5883-5894
Koay, Eugene J; Owen, Dawn; Das, Prajnan (2018) Radiation-Induced Liver Disease and Modern Radiotherapy. Semin Radiat Oncol 28:321-331
Zhang, Yuqing; Kirane, Amanda; Huang, Huocong et al. (2018) Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition potentiates the efficacy of vascular endothelial growth factor blockade and promotes an immune stimulatory microenvironment in preclinical models of pancreatic cancer. Mol Cancer Res :
Mu, Chaofeng; Wu, Xiaoyan; Zhou, Xinyu et al. (2018) Chemotherapy Sensitizes Therapy-Resistant Cells to Mild Hyperthermia by Suppressing Heat Shock Protein 27 Expression in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. Clin Cancer Res 24:4900-4912
Amer, Ahmed M; Zaid, Mohamed; Chaudhury, Baishali et al. (2018) Imaging-based biomarkers: Changes in the tumor interface of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma on computed tomography scans indicate response to cytotoxic therapy. Cancer 124:1701-1709
Koay, Eugene J; Hall, William; Park, Peter C et al. (2018) The role of imaging in the clinical practice of radiation oncology for pancreatic cancer. Abdom Radiol (NY) 43:393-403
Mai, Junhua; Li, Xin; Zhang, Guodong et al. (2018) DNA Thioaptamer with Homing Specificity to Lymphoma Bone Marrow Involvement. Mol Pharm 15:1814-1825
Ng, Sweet Ping; Koay, Eugene J (2018) Current and emerging radiotherapy strategies for pancreatic adenocarcinoma: stereotactic, intensity modulated and particle radiotherapy. Ann Pancreat Cancer 1:
Ludwig, Kathleen F; Du, Wenting; Sorrelle, Noah B et al. (2018) Small-Molecule Inhibition of Axl Targets Tumor Immune Suppression and Enhances Chemotherapy in Pancreatic Cancer. Cancer Res 78:246-255

Showing the most recent 10 out of 31 publications