# MD Anderson Cancer Center SPORE in Gastrointestinal Cancer

> **NIH NIH P50** · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · 2020 · $2,309,154

## Abstract

OVERALL: Summary/Abstract
The overall goal of the MD Anderson SPORE in Gastrointestinal Cancer is to reduce mortality and morbidity
rates from colorectal cancer (CRC) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), and to improve the quality
of life of patients afflicted by these diseases. CRC is the 2nd most common cause of cancer-related deaths in
this country, while PDAC is the 3rd most common cause, underscoring the significance of the work
undertaken in this proposal. Our multidisciplinary team will conduct highly innovative translational research
including first-in-human trials in order to further therapeutic options available to CRC and PDAC patients. The
GI SPORE will be jointly led by Scott Kopetz and Anirban Maitra, who are accomplished translational
researchers in CRC and PDAC, respectively. We propose the following three projects: Project 1 will test the
efficacy of a novel personalized peptide vaccine in the adjuvant setting in post-resection CRC patients, and
also evaluate in preclinical models the most optimal combination therapies for vaccination in this disease.
Project 1 will be a collaboration with Johns Hopkins University, and represents the confluence of our shared
expertise in cancer immunotherapy and immune correlatives. Project 2 will evaluate the role of oncogenic
STAT3 signaling in chronic inflammation-associated and hereditary CRC, using a combination of genetically
engineered animal models and patient-derived organoids (PDOs). In addition, this project will conduct a
prevention study with an internally-developed STAT3 inhibitor. Project 3 will evaluate biological correlates
of response and resistance (including metabolic imaging studies) to a novel inhibitor of oxidative
phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in PDAC, using our substantial repertoire of genetically annotated patient-derived
xenografts (PDXs). Further, we will evaluate this OXPHOS inhibitor, IACS-10759, in two clinical trials
targeting metastatic and locally advanced PDAC patients, respectively, with accompanying novel imaging and
molecular correlatives. An important objective of our program will be the recruiting of women and minorities
to the field and mentoring of early career faculty through the Career Enhancement Program (CEP), and
funding of innovative pilot projects through the Developmental Research Program (DRP). An Administrative
Core designed to maintain fiscal responsibility along with reporting and institutional compliance will support
all three projects. A Biospecimen and Pathology Core will support all clinical and research biospecimen
needs for the three projects and a Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Core will provide support for trial design
and biostatistics. Established working relationships have been extremely productive on many fronts from a
well-positioned team approach. Our overall GI SPORE team is strategically organized to effectively translate
our preclinical concepts and novel targets rapidly into a clinical setting, with the goal of signific...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9999477
- **Project number:** 5P50CA221707-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Scott Kopetz
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $2,309,154
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-08-20 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9999477

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9999477, MD Anderson Cancer Center SPORE in Gastrointestinal Cancer (5P50CA221707-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9999477. Licensed CC0.

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