# Head & Neck Cancer Neoantigen Characterization & Therapeutic Targeting

> **NIH NIH R01** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · 2022 · $447,565

## Abstract

Project Summary
Head & neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is currently showing clinical response to
immune checkpoint inhibitors, but its efficacy is still low at nearly 20% of the
recurrent/metastatic patients treated. One immunological strategy to improve upon this low
efficacy rate is to target the high mutational burden of HNSCC, particularly those associated
with chronic tobacco exposure. We propose to characterize the mutation associated neoantigen
landscape of human HNSCC obtained from patients treated with nivolumab in a neoadjuvant
setting using both in silico and mass spectroscopy methods to directly obtain these human neo-
epitopes. In conjunction with these studies, we will characterize the immunodominant MHC
restricted neoantigens in an autologous humanized murine system in vivo. These findings will
help direct a novel strategy to expand these neoantigen-specific T-cells using a potent STING
agonist formulated nanoparticles with known neoantigens found in human HNSCC. Findings
from this proposal will also impact how neoantigen-based cancer vaccines should be
administered in conjunction with immune checkpoint inhibitors in future head and neck clinical
trials. Lastly, our proposal will also inform neoepitope prediction algorithms and antigen based
trials for other cancer types to have deep impact in the field of cancer immunology as a whole.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10436179
- **Project number:** 5R01DE027749-05
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** SEBASTIAN JOYCE
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $447,565
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-07-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10436179

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10436179, Head & Neck Cancer Neoantigen Characterization & Therapeutic Targeting (5R01DE027749-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10436179. Licensed CC0.

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