# Center for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy (CCII)

> **NIH NIH P20** · UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE · 2021 · $2,324,733

## Abstract

The objective of this program is to establish a thematic multidisciplinary research center of excellence at the
University of Louisville (UofL) named the Center for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy (CCII). The
mission of the CCII is to conduct outstanding biomedical research that works towards harnessing the power of
the immune system to eradicate cancer. There is currently a great deal of optimism about the prospects for
cancer immunotherapies given the recent clinical successes of immune checkpoint inhibitors, oncolytic viruses,
and adoptive cell transfer therapies. Immunotherapies have the potential to be used to treat all types of cancer
and to induce long-lasting remissions or cures. However, more research and development is needed for
cancer immunotherapy to reach its full potential. The University of Louisville is exceptionally qualified to be the
home of the CCII for many reasons including our 10-year track record of conducting clinical trials of
immunotherapeutic agents, unique resources that include access to human specimens from these trials, our
senior investigators’ expertise in cancer immunology, our focus on translational research, and the impact that
this COBRE would have in a state with the highest cancer death rates in the nation. Importantly, the University
of Louisville is highly invested in making this proposed center a success as best evidenced by more than
$16.8M in institutional commitments over five years. The two PIs of the CCII program are highly regarded
experts in the field who have made seminal contributions spanning from basic cancer immunology to pivotal
clinical trials of cancer immunotherapies. Senior mentors with expertise in the thematic area and a strong
history of funding, publications, mentoring, and study section service will support the CCII’s mentoring mission,
as will a team of co-investigators with essential expertise (in administration, biostatistics, and bioinformatics)
and Internal and External Advisory Committees. A Functional Immunomics Core will provide important new
infrastructure and leverage existing resources (including other IDeA programs) to provide outstanding support
to the four promising junior investigators who have been selected as the first cohort of CCII Project PIs. The
four overall specific aims of the CCII are to: (1) Establish the administrative and mentoring infrastructure for the
CCII; (2) Create a research core that provides new capabilities while leveraging existing facilities; (3) Support
the research and career development of junior PIs in the thematic area; and (4) Develop and initiate a plan for
long-term sustainability and growth of the CCII. We are confident that this new COBRE center will lead to the
awarding of innovative R01 grants for 4-6 CCII junior investigators in the first five years and that many of these
graduates will remain key members of this new COBRE to further build the center in the future. Most
importantly, our combination of rigorous basic science w...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10093098
- **Project number:** 5P20GM135004-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE
- **Principal Investigator:** Jason A. Chesney
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $2,324,733
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-02-01 → 2025-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10093098

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10093098, Center for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy (CCII) (5P20GM135004-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10093098. Licensed CC0.

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