# Research Program: Immune Regulation Targets (IRT)

> **NIH NIH P30** · THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $58,948

## Abstract

ABSTRACT: IMMUNE CELL REGULATION AND TARGETING PROGRAM (IRT)
The Immune Cell Regulation and Targeting (IRT) Program investigates the role of adaptive and innate immune
cells in cancer development and progression with a translational focus on identifying targetable mechanisms in
lymphoid and myeloid cells and developing new approaches to improve cancer immunotherapy. The aims of the
IRT Program are to: 1) Determine immune cell functions that shape the tumor immune environment and impact
cancer development and progression; 2) Identify targetable mechanisms of lymphoid and myeloid malignancy
development and survival, and new strategies to improve treatment; and 3) Develop new methods and strategies
to harness and improve immune cell targeting of cancers for therapeutic intervention. Through transdisciplinary
research that bridges multiple immune-based approaches and cancer types, IRT drives the Sidney Kimmel
Cancer Center’s mission to bring cutting-edge cancer immunotherapies to its catchment area, with an emphasis
on priority cancers, such as colon, and multiple myeloma. The IRT Program excels in combining research on
immune cells and novel immunotherapies with training the next generation of diverse researchers by employing
multiple teaching and mentoring modalities and supporting career development and funding opportunities at all
levels. Community outreach by IRT members through a variety of avenues leads to bidirectional education,
improving IRT members’ understanding of the population in the catchment area, conveying the benefits of the
center’s research to our communities, and learning from our community what is important to them.
The IRT Program is led by Christine Eischen, PhD, and Pierluigi Porcu, MD, who provide complementary
expertise in the molecular mechanisms of cancer initiation and survival, and clinical trials and targeted therapies
in hematologic malignancies, respectively. To capture the research strengths across the consortium, the
Program assembles 45 members from 14 departments across Thomas Jefferson University and Drexel
University. IRT members have successfully published high-impact papers and obtained both federal and non-
federal grant support. Total cancer relevant funding is $17.5 M with $1.8 M from NCI and a further $6.3 M from
other NIH institutes and DOD. IRT has published 725 cancer-relevant research articles of which 20% are intra-
programmatic, 18.9% are inter-programmatic, and 41.4% are collaborative with other NCI-designated Cancer
Centers. Important discoveries have been published in high-impact journals including N Engl J Med, Cancer
Discov, J Clin Invest, Nat Commun, Blood, Nat Med, and Clin Cancer Res.
The IRT Program’s future directions are aligned to the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center strategic plan, IMPACT
PHL. Future goals are to: 1) Significantly expand tumor immunology and immune cell-based research; 2)
Develop programmatic research in lymphoid and myeloid malignancies; and 3) Broaden and deepen the
produ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10848046
- **Project number:** 2P30CA056036-24
- **Recipient organization:** THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** CHRISTINE M. EISCHEN
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $58,948
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 1995-06-22 → 2029-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10848046

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10848046, Research Program: Immune Regulation Targets (IRT) (2P30CA056036-24). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10848046. Licensed CC0.

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