# Identifying new immunotherapeutic targets for endocrine autoimmunity.

> **NIH NIH U19** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2024 · $737,346

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT (OVERALL)
Autoimmune endocrinopathies include a number of conditions in which the immune system destroys healthy
hormone-producing tissues. These conditions affect a large number of Americans, many of them female, but
have not yet been the focus of ACE studies in the past. Moreover, unlike most other autoimmune conditions,
autoimmune endocrinopathies are not usually treated with immunotherapies, despite clear evidence that their
etiology is immune-mediated. Thus, there is an urgent need to better understand autoimmune pathogenesis to
identify targets for immunotherapies in these conditions. This new ACE proposal seeks to delineate mechanisms
of autoimmune chronicity as critical pathways in the establishment of autoimmune endocrinopathies. The
Principal Project delineates the epigenetic and transcriptional mechanisms underlying chronicity in autoimmune
endocrinopathies. These studies will determine whether an epigenetic regulator UTX may a role in conversion
of stem-like progenitor CD8+ T cells to effectors in autoimmune endocrinopathies. The Collaborative Project
addresses spatial and temporal determinants of immune chronicity in cancer immunotherapy-related immune
related adverse events (IRAEs). Endocrine IRAEs of great interest given the large proportion of cancer patients
who now receive immunotherapies and develop these unwanted side effects. Finally, many autoimmune
endocrinopathies are sex-biased, and the Pilot Project addresses sexual dimorphism in immune chronicity
pathways. In particular, UTX is an X-linked gene that is differentially expressed in male vs. female CD8+ T cells,
and we will explore UTX’s role in mediating sex differences in progenitor to effector conversion. Our ACE includes
an Administrative Core, which will ensure efficient day-to-day operational support; an ACE Funds Management
Core, which will administer financial and consortium agreements; and an ACE Biorepository Core, which takes
advantage of the well-developed biorepository infrastructure system in place at UCLA. Our program will build a
cohesive and multi-disciplinary team of immunologists, clinicians, and computational biologists to contribute our
deep expertise to the ACE collaborative enterprise.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10845206
- **Project number:** 1U19AI181729-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** Maureen A Su
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $737,346
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-10 → 2029-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10845206

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10845206, Identifying new immunotherapeutic targets for endocrine autoimmunity. (1U19AI181729-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10845206. Licensed CC0.

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