# Cancer Therapeutics Program (CRX)

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA · 2020 · $37,510

## Abstract

IMMUNOLOGY/IMMUNOTHERAPY (IMM) – PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT 
The immune system is an important means to control cancer. It is also the source of hematologic 
malignancies. The goals of the Immunology/Immunotherapy (IMM) Program are to support basic, translational, 
and clinical research to improve the immune response to cancer, and to translate understanding of 
hematopoietic cell development into treatment of hematologic malignancies. These goals are encompassed in 
3 Specific Aims: 1. to develop and optimize the efficacy of antigen-specific immunotherapeutics; 2. to 
understand and modulate T cell function and regulation in the tumor microenvironment; 3. to 
understand normal pathways of hematopoietic cell development and their dysregulation in human 
hematologic malignancies. Each aim includes outstanding basic science investigations, and highly 
collaborative translational initiatives and clinical trials. The Program co-leaders are internationally recognized 
for their work in tumor antigen identification, induction of tumor-specific CD8 T cell responses, and cancer 
immunotherapy clinical trials. The Program consists of 30 members and 7 associate members from 9 
departments/divisions in the School of Medicine. Total extramural funding is over $11.17M, including over 
$4.04M from the NCI and over $4.77M from other NIH institutes. Program members have published 216 
papers over the last 5 years, of which 12% were inter-programmatic and 16% were intraprogrammatic. The 
Program supports research in progress presentations and seminars to engender new directions and 
collaborations; pilot funding to encourage development of promising collaborations and ideas; and an Immune 
Monitoring Laboratory to facilitate clinical research. Seventeen clinical trials led by Program members are open 
to enrollment across 5 cancer histologies (pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, head and neck cancer, prostate 
cancer, and melanoma). They include 10 investigator-initiated trials, of which three are multicenter. These trials 
are evaluating cancer vaccines, checkpoint blockade antibodies and combination immunotherapies. These 
trials test hypotheses arising from laboratory science and also bring tissue to the laboratories to investigate 
cellular processes and molecular mechanisms to explain the clinical findings. This Program provides a firm 
foundation for continued advances in understanding of the immune system and utilizing that knowledge to 
improve immunotherapy and treatment of hematologic malignancies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9854923
- **Project number:** 5P30CA044579-29
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Craig Lee Slingluff
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $37,510
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9854923

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9854923, Cancer Therapeutics Program (CRX) (5P30CA044579-29). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9854923. Licensed CC0.

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