# Single cell epigenomics in cancer immunity and immunotherapy

> **NIH NIH K08** · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $125,538

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
This proposal outlines a five-year career development program for Dr. Ansuman Satpathy, M.D., Ph.D. with the
goal of preparing him for an independent research career as an academic physician-scientist. Dr. Satpathy
completed his M.D. and Ph.D. in Immunology at Washington University in St. Louis and his medical residency
in Clinical Pathology at Stanford Hospital and Clinics. During his residency, Dr. Satpathy performed basic science
research in the lab of Dr. Howard Chang, who is a Professor of Dermatology and Director of the Center for
Excellence in Genome Science at Stanford University. Dr. Chang is an expert in the fields of genomics and
cancer biology and has previously served as a mentor to many physician-scientists who have transitioned to
independent positions in academic medicine. Stanford University provides an outstanding environment for Dr.
Satpathy to develop his independent research career. First, Dr. Satpathy's Advisory Committee comprised of
Drs. Mackall, Montine, Greenleaf, and Galli has diverse and extensive scientific expertise relevant to all aspects
of this proposal and highly successful track records as scientific mentors. Second, Dr. Satpathy will acquire
additional scientific and professional skills through educational resources available through the School of
Medicine and Office of Postdoctoral Affairs. Third, the research infrastructure within the Chang lab and
neighboring core facilities will enable Dr. Satpathy to efficiently perform the scientific aims described in this
proposal. The long-term goal of the proposed research is to study the epigenetic basis for immunotherapy
resistance in patients with advanced basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Clinical immunotherapies that enhance the
ability of T lymphocytes to destroy cancer cells have demonstrated remarkable efficacy in advanced skin
cancers, but only a subset of patients respond to therapy. During Dr. Satpathy’s brief time in the Chang lab, he
developed novel sequencing technologies which enable epigenomic studies in primary immune cells from
patients with newfound resolution. In Aim 1, we will perform simultaneous epigenome and T cell receptor
sequencing in single cells to identify epigenetic signatures of T cell dysfunction in tumor-specific CD8+ tumor-
infiltrating T lymphocytes (TILs). This integrative approach will separate regulatory networks in clonal tumor-
specific T cells from background non-reactive T cells in the same patient. In Aim 2, we will use this technique to
identify regulatory signatures in CD8+ TILs that are associated with immunotherapy resistance in BCC patients
receiving anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. In Aim 3, we will engineer durable T cell immunotherapy responses using
genome editing of regulatory sites in primary T cells. Finally, we will facilitate the dissemination of these findings
by freely distributing protocols and data and releasing custom software tools. We anticipate that these results
will lead to novel insights in...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9978746
- **Project number:** 5K08CA230188-03
- **Recipient organization:** STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Ansuman Satpathy
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $125,538
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-08-01 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9978746

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9978746, Single cell epigenomics in cancer immunity and immunotherapy (5K08CA230188-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9978746. Licensed CC0.

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