The proposed career development training award will provide the candidate, Dr. Bradford Perez, with an excellent opportunity to establish as an independent clinical/translational investigator. As part of his translational effort he seeks to characterize tumor infiltrating immune cells to understand mechanism of synergy with radiation and immunotherapy combinations with a specific interest and plan to further evaluate anti-41bb therapy in conjunction with radiation therapy. An improved understanding of this mechanism is critical to robust and successful implementation of combined modality strategies in the clinic. The work proposed as part of this award application will also allow Dr. Perez to grow and establish independence as a clinical investigator. He currently serves as the principal investigator for an ongoing investigator initiated clinical trial for patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer. With the support of a strong mentorship team, he was able to draft the protocol and navigate the necessary regulatory infrastructure to enroll patients on this Phase I/II trial. The human tissue samples (serial peripheral blood and tumor samples) collected as part of this ongoing trial will be thoroughly analyzed as part of Research Aim 2 to help understand the precise mechanism by which RT modulates the immune system. Through an improved understanding, future clinical studies as proposed in Research Aim 3 can be rationally designed to maximize the opportunity for synergy with radiation and immunotherapy. The application includes a robust plan that highlights Dr. Perez's limitations in prior training with a didactic program that is specifically designed overcome knowledge gaps in the fields of cancer immunity/immunotherapy and early stage clinical trial design. In working to establish independence, the final training aim includes dedicated career development focus on grant writing and publications. This training will help Dr. Perez to master the necessary skills crucial to success as an independent investigator. Drs. Antonia, Conejo-Garcia and Schell will closely advise and oversee Dr. Perez's career development and represent a team of international experts in the field of cancer clinical and translational investigation. The proposed training in this K08 NCI Mentored Clinical Scientist training grant for patient oriented research will allow Dr. Perez to transition to an independent clinical and translational researcher.
More than 100,000 people die of lung cancer each year in the United States. Efforts to improve outcomes for these patients are likely to have an enormous health impact not only in the United States but also around the world. This award seeks to test the hypothesis that combining systemic immunotherapy with radiation therapy will allow for vigorous T cell specific immune activation and improved local and distant tumor control among patients with lung cancer.
