# Duke-UNC Chapel Hill Immunotherapy Training Grant

> **NIH NIH T32** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2021 · $459,827

## Abstract

Abstract:
This is a combined training grant from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) and Duke
University (Duke UNC Immunotherapy Training Grant; DUNC-IMTG). The DUNC-IMTG will train postdoctoral
fellows in translational and clinical research focusing on tumor immunotherapy and/or stem cell transplantation
immunology. This is an area of rapid growth and interest with exciting new therapies being evaluated in the
treatment of patients with multiple different forms of cancer. Despite this intense enthusiasm, these areas are
vastly underrepresented in current training programs leading to a paucity of trained investigators to work in
these rapidly expanding areas.
The DUNC-IMTG supports the training of six trainees yearly at UNC-CH and Duke University. We have
identified 21 senior mentors and 3 junior mentors with outstanding qualifications at UNC-CH and Duke
University to instruct individuals supported by this training program. These investigators' interests include
vaccine design and vector generation, adoptive cellular therapy, novel approaches to understand the function
of checkpoint inhibitors, the role of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment and enhancing our
understanding of the biology of immune cells in stem cell transplantation. We have an extremely novel
mechanism for training with an emphasis on didactic coursework in statistical design, bioinformatics and
proteomics, and seminar courses. Importantly, all trainees take these courses together, which allows access to
trainees of each institution to world-class instructors from both institutions. All trainees will participate in
Immunotherapy Working Groups, which are translational teams that assist in the development of novel
immunotherapies, allowing all trainees to be involved in the development of biomarkers and clinical trials for
the treatment of patients with cancer. Additionally, we have a robust and comprehensive approach to training
underrepresented minorities.
Strengths of the program include an extremely strong group of mentors with substantial experience training
postdoctoral fellows, an outstanding leadership group with a long history of training translational and clinical
investigators, the presence of world-class vaccine and transplant infrastructure allowing for the development
and implementation of translational cutting-edge clinical trials and a strong track record of collaborative training
grants with outstanding training success between Duke University and the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill. Finally, we have identified an outstanding group of potential trainees who could participate as
trainees in this program. This program combines the mentors, infrastructure and resources of two world-class
institutions to provide novel training in a critically important area of clinical and translational research.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10212334
- **Project number:** 5T32CA211056-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** Nelson J. Chao
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $459,827
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-08-01 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10212334

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10212334, Duke-UNC Chapel Hill Immunotherapy Training Grant (5T32CA211056-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10212334. Licensed CC0.

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