The CCII has provided financial support, core access, mentoring, and networking opportunities for promising investigators who are conducting innovative research in the thematic area but who have not yet received R01-type funding. Our projects are very diverse yet share a common theme of defining the mechanisms by which cancers escape immune detection and evaluating ideas that could translate into new biomarkers or treatments.

Research Projects

	Ongoing Inflammation following Chemotherapy Induces Immunosuppression – PI: Chuanlin Ding (Active Project)
	Leveraging Zika virus-driven myeloid cell responses to treat GBM – PI: Sharmila Nair (Active Project)
	The role of ECM-mediated mechanosignaling on regional immunosuppression in GBM – PI: Jospeh Chen (Active Project)
	Overcoming Resistance to Cancer Immunotherapy by Targeting MDSC-derived Adenosine – PI: Kavitha Yaddanapudi (Graduate)
	Defining Tumor-infiltrating B Cell Signatures associated with T Cell-mediated Antitumor Immunity in Human Lung Adenocarcinoma – PI: Corey Watson (Graduate)
	Mechanisms of Resistance to Immunotherapy in NSCLC – PI: Qingsheng Li (Graduate)

Pilot Projects

	DP1 receptor signaling in aging-associated immune dysfunction in lung metastases PI: Jian Zheng
	Engineered milk exosomes for lung cancer immunotherapy – PI: Farrukh Aqil
	Development of Effective Non-Viral Transfection Techniques to Improve Biomanufacturing of Cellular Immunotherapies – PI: Jonathan Kopechek
	Longitudinal Deep immunophenotyping in secondary anti-PD1 resistance – PI: Mark Linder
	Lipid metabolite platelet-activating factor (PAF)-induced immune suppression in sentinel lymph nodes of melanoma patients – PIs: Hongying Hao and Kelly McMasters
	Enhancement of Anti-Melanoma Tumor Targeting Utilizing CARs and TILS – PI: James Cripps
	A Lung Cancer Vaccine Using Exosomes for Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. – PI: Chi Li
	Development of Lectikines for Immunotherapy Against Ovarian Cancer – PI: Nobuyuki Matoba
	Characterization of the IgG4 Repertoire and Tolerance-Associated Variants in Late Stage Melanoma – PI: Melissa Smith