# Center for Immunotherapeutic Transport Oncophysics

> **NIH NIH U54** · METHODIST HOSPITAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE · 2020 · $1,797,348

## Abstract

OVERALL – SUMMARY
The US Food and Drug Administration recently approved several immunotherapies for the treatment of
metastatic melanoma and lung cancer, based on their robust anti-cancer activities. Intense effort to apply
immunotherapies for many other cancers, including breast and pancreatic cancers, have not yet met with
similar success. Much of the effort has been focused on the study of the biological aspects of different
immunotherapeutics, rather than the physical spatio-temporal peculiarities and aberrations of tumors (e.g.,
poor lymphocyte infiltration), which we believe are key parameters for improving the efficacy of
immunotherapies. Recent evidence emphasizes the importance of processes within the tumor
microenvironment over systemic pharmacokinetics for therapeutic efficacy. Thus, the impact of transport
phenomena on immunotherapeutic efficacy (and therapeutic resistance) should be considered when
developing strategies for new immunotherapies. Within this conceptual framework, the proposed Center for
Immunotherapeutic Transport Oncophysics (CITO) focuses on: 1) understanding transport limitations of
immune cells and immunotherapeutics; 2) establishing a precision immunotherapeutics framework on the
basis of transport oncophysics; and 3) exploiting oncophysical transport-based cues for the development of
successful personalized immunotherapeutics strategies based on transport phenotypes. Our overarching
strategy comprise many innovations, including transport as a resistance for immunotherapies,
nanotherapeutic vaccines, biomimetic constructs, precision immunotherapeutics, biodistribution theory, and
oncophysics models for transport, biodistribution and tumor growth. The research projects focus on breast
and pancreatic cancers, as those are cancer types with significant clinical challenges. In particular, we will
determine the transport of Nano-DC vaccines and immune cells, and how they can be modulated to affect
immunogenicity and therapeutic efficacy, with primary focus on breast cancer (Project 1). We will also
determine the biophysical transport barrier(s) within the pancreatic cancer tumor microenvironment that can
be modulated to affect the efficacy of immunotherapies (Project 2). Both projects focus on immune cell
transport across many transport-limiting barriers (e.g., lymphatics, stroma, and vascular leakiness). They
also share a set of animal models, therapeutic, and adjuvant agents, and they are also supported by the
Transport Oncophysics Core (TOC). The CITO's overall objectives for the proposed funding period are:
1) to determine transport properties of immunotherapeutic agents in breast and pancreatic tumors; 2) to
establish a predictive computational transport oncophysics framework for cancer immunotherapeutics; 3)
to determine the extent of therapeutic resistance caused by therapeutic transport limitations and their
evolution during cancer progression; and 4) to optimize and personalize systemic immunotherapeutic
strat...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9997825
- **Project number:** 5U54CA210181-05
- **Recipient organization:** METHODIST HOSPITAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE
- **Principal Investigator:** JENNY C-N CHANG
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1,797,348
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-08-29 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9997825

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9997825, Center for Immunotherapeutic Transport Oncophysics (5U54CA210181-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9997825. Licensed CC0.

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