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Discoveries and Accomplishments

The Cancer Immunology Research Program has made groundbreaking scientific contributions and is poised to continue driving advancements in the field of cancer immunology and immunotherapy.

Advancing Immunotherapy Development

The Cancer Immunology Research Program at Winship has already made seminal contributions to the development of immunotherapies for cancer and has helped to define fundamental principles that guide immunotherapy response.

Impactful Scientific Contributions

Impactful scientific contributions by members in the Cancer Immunology Research Program include:

  • Development of abatacept to prevent acute graft versus host disease, ultimately leading to FDA approval in 2021.
  • Definition of antigen-specific B and T cells in tumor microenvironment of head/neck cancer with practice-changing immunotherapeutic implications.
  • Identification of antigen-presenting-cell niches within tumors that may be key mechanism of immune escape.
  • Definition of the CD8 T cells that provide the proliferative burst after PD-1 immunotherapy.

Leadership Roles and Future Focus

Our program members play leadership roles in several Winship team science programs, including:

  • NCI-funded lung cancer SPORE and P01 awards
  • The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) award in multiple myeloma

Leveraging Winship’s resources and infrastructure for innovation and team-science, including considerable pilot funding, our program is poised to make significant contributions to cancer immunology and immunotherapy.