Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy

Congratulations to PICI Investigator and former Parker Senior Fellow Justin Eyquem, PhD, University of California, San Francisco, on his selection as a 2024 Pew-Stewart Scholar for Cancer Research. This prestigious four-year grant recognizes his significant contributions to the field and supports his ongoing efforts to advance cancer immunotherapy. Dr. Eyquem, who is also an affiliate investigator at Gladstone Institutes, focuses his pioneering research on refining CAR T-cell therapy to eliminate costly production steps. This work aims to address the critical need to make these potentially curative treatments more accessible, affordable, and faster to produce for cancer patients. We look forward to the impact of Dr. Eyquem's continued work in improving cancer treatment outcomes. → Read the comprehensive announcements from Gladstone Institutes and UCSF : https://lnkd.in/eqRzGbD2 and https://lnkd.in/gjkYWYGP → Listen to his detailed discussion on our "From Bench to Fireside" podcast series: https://lnkd.in/e-BtCcpY

Just in time in advance of the long holiday weekend, the July edition of The Immuno-Oncology Digest is here, featuring PICI Network updates, industry insights, scientific breakthroughs, partner collaborations and more. In this issue: - PICI announced its 2024 class of Early Career Researchers. Now in its eighth year, this year's awardees will receive over $1 million in total to support their pioneering immunotherapy research. - New research from the University of Pennsylvania published in Science, led by PICI Investigator Andy Minn, MD, PhD, and team, including 2023 Parker Scholar Divij Mathew, PhD, PICI Investigator Alexander Huang, MD, and E. John Wherry, PhD, Co-Director of the PICI Center at Penn, which shows promising results for advanced #lungcancer treatment.  - A new article in Nature Medicine, in which Crystal Mackall, MD, PICI Center Director, Stanford University School of Medicine, and team, including PICI Site Administrator Casey Carr, propose an alternate path for the development and commercialization of pediatric cell and gene therapies in order to increase access. - New research led by 2023 Parker Scholar Chris McGinnis, PhD, Stanford University School of Medicine, and PICI Investigator Ansuman Satpathy, MD, PhD, Stanford University School of Medicine, published in Cancer Cell (Cell Press) and funded by PICI, that unveils important insights into the dynamic immune landscape changes that enable breast cancer metastasis. Read the full issue: https://lnkd.in/eCUMuSdp Subscribe for updates: https://lnkd.in/dEm2qHz

PICI proudly marched in the San Francisco Pride Parade today, celebrating diversity and inclusion with the LGBTQIA+ community. Our contingent was made up of PICI staff, family, allies and friends from across our network, including University of California, San Francisco, Gladstone Institutes and California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). We stand with the LGBTQIA+ community in advocating for equality, recognizing that a welcoming environment empowers our network’s brilliant minds to pursue bold ideas and challenge conventional thinking. Embracing diverse perspectives equips us to tackle complex challenges in immuno-oncology research and accelerate breakthrough cancer treatments. Thank you to everyone who marched alongside us today, embodying the spirit of collaboration and determination that define the PICI Network. We were inspired by the energy, courage and pure joy that filled the streets of San Francisco. #SFPride #PICIPride

PICI is thrilled to announce our 2024 class of Early Career Researcher awardees. Each of these bright and bold investigators is propelling the field of cancer #immunotherapy through their pioneering research, sharing in PICI’s mission to accelerate the development of breakthrough immune therapies to turn all cancers into curable diseases. This year’s awards total over $1 million and grant awardees membership into the PICI Network, a group of internationally renowned IO leaders. This support is designed to empower recipients to advance their critical work on gene networks, synthetic receptors, metastatic stem cells and engineered immune cells. - Parker Bridge Fellow Zachary Steinhart, PhD, Gladstone Institutes: Zachary’s research focuses on the interrogation of gene networks controlling human cytotoxic T cell function with next-generation CRISPR screens.  - Parker Scholar Maxwell Foisey, PhD candidate, the University of California, San Francisco: Maxwell’s research focuses on how novel hybrid synthetic receptors deliver immunomodulatory payloads, enhancing solid tumor T-cell therapy. - Parker Scholar Debolina Ganguly, PhD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute: Debolina is working to identify the mechanistic underpinnings by which metastatic stem cells promote systemic tolerance to tumor antigens and suppress responses to immunotherapy. - Parker Scholar Sean Yamada-Hunter, PhD, Stanford University School of Medicine: Sean is studying harnessing engineered CD47 to develop T cell and macrophage combination immunotherapy for rapid clinical translation. Congratulations to the 2024 awardees! PICI is honored to support your research and looks forward to the future innovations that will emerge from your work. With a legacy of awarding over $22.5 million through 53 total awards since 2016, PICI is proud to help cultivate a new generation of immuno-oncology leaders. Read more about PICI, the award and our recipients here: https://lnkd.in/eMEsdCbF

New research from University of Pennsylvania published in Science, led by PICI Investigator Andy Minn, MD, PhD, and team including 2023 Parker Scholar Divij Mathew, PhD, PICI Investigator Alexander Huang, MD, and E. John Wherry, PhD, Co-Director of the PICI Center at Penn, shows promising results for advanced #lung cancer treatment. The Phase 2 trial demonstrated that targeting persistent inflammation with a JAK inhibitor after initial anti-PD-1 #immunotherapy improved immune function and antitumor responses. This approach resulted in a 67% overall response rate in metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and 23.8 months median progression-free survival. By inhibiting JAK1, which plays a crucial role in inflammatory signaling, the treatment delayed CD8 T cell exhaustion, enhancing the immunotherapy response. This could offer a major advance for patients who don’t benefit from or relapse after initial anti–PD-1 immunotherapy. These results, alongside recent findings in r/r Hodgkin's lymphoma, suggest that combining JAK inhibition and PD-1 immunotherapy could have significant implications for future treatment strategies. → Read the Science article for more information: https://lnkd.in/eUzbqEmi → Check out the news release from Penn: https://lnkd.in/eRSBVwPk

In a new article in Nature Medicine, Crystal Mackall, MD, PICI Center Director, Stanford University School of Medicine, and team propose an alternate path for the development and commercialization of pediatric cell and gene therapies (CGTs), envisioning a world in which more children can access the cutting-edge therapies they need. Although CGTs have seen significant advances in recent years, becoming the largest growing segment of the biopharmaceutical industry with 18 CGTs approved in the US and Europe since 2016, pediatric CGTs have been met with market failure, stifled by factors including small market sizes, regulatory hurdles, high manufacturing costs, and other challenges, which limit the potential return on investment under a traditional drug development model and harm patient access as a result. According to the authors, creating the Pediatric Advanced Medicines Biotech (PAMB) to lead late-stage development and commercialize #pediatric CGTs outside of the traditional biopharmaceutical model in the US could be a solution to alleviating development obstacles and expanding access for children. In order to enact this plan, collaboration across academia and industry will be key. Read more about this innovative new idea in Nature Medicine: https://lnkd.in/exTbEXfj

"From Bench to Fireside" has landed on Apple Podcasts! Subscribe now to catch our thought-provoking cancer immunotherapy podcast on both Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Hosted by PICI Chief Scientific Officer John Connolly, PhD, each episode features conversations with the brilliant minds of the PICI Network who are pushing the boundaries of cancer research and immunotherapy. In the first three episodes of Season 1, which have dropped on Apple Podcasts, you'll hear: - Lewis Lanier, PhD, PICI Center Director for the PICI Center at UCSF, discuss the progress of NK cell biology, his role in helping to shape PICI's mission, and the impact of cultivating collaborations in both academia and industry. - Jedd Wolchok, MD, PhD, Center Director for the PICI Center at Weill Cornell Medicine, share his vision for the new PICI Center at Weill Cornell Medicine and how to transform clinical research and cancer care to make immunotherapy breakthroughs more accessible. - Crystal Mackall, MD, Center Director for the PICI Center at Stanford University School of Medicine, explore groundbreaking pediatric cancer treatments, the potential of "serial killer" T cells, and the importance of supporting the next generation of scientific innovators. Subscribe to "From Bench to Fireside" on Apple Podcasts today and stay informed throughout the summer. Start listening now: https://lnkd.in/gKBZuSKV

New research from PICI Investigator Howard Chang, MD, PhD, and team at Stanford University School of Medicine, published in Cell Press and funded by PICI, has revealed that circular RNAs (circRNAs) found outside of cells can act as warning signals, triggering immune responses. The study showed that immune cells can take up these circRNAs, transform them into proteins, and display pieces of these proteins on their surface, alerting the immune system to potential threats. Using CRISPR screening and chemical inhibitors, the team discovered that the macrophage scavenger receptor MSR1 is crucial for circRNA uptake through phagocytosis (a process where cells engulf particles) and macropinocytosis (a similar process of ingesting extracellular molecules). Once these circRNAs are internalized, they activate specific genes, causing immune cells to respond. Potentially originating from damaged cells or invading pathogens, these circRNAs serve as unique "eat me" signals and danger markers that prompt the immune system to eliminate threats. The team's remarkable finding uncovers circRNAs' important role in immune system activation, potentially leading to new ways of understanding and treating cancer and other diseases by modulating immune responses.  Read more in Molecular Cell: https://lnkd.in/e43atNhe

PICI Investigators at UCLA, Lili Yang, PhD, and Chris Seet, MD, PhD, and team, have developed a novel method to mass produce powerful invariant natural killer T cells, or iNKT cells, that could enable an “off-the-shelf” cancer immunotherapy. Published in Nature Biotechnology, their approach engineers invariant natural killer T cells from cord blood to target multiple cancer types, including solid tumors. Unlike conventional CAR-T therapies, this allows cost-effective manufacturing from a single donor for broad patient access. Clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of these universal CAR-iNKT cell therapies are forthcoming at UCLA. Dive deeper:  → Read the paper in Nature Biotechnology: https://lnkd.in/gQnYmGvB → Check out the UCLA news article: https://lnkd.in/emc64WBc

Just in time for #CancerImmunotherapyMonth, PICI sat down with Carl June, MD, Director of the PICI Center at The University of Pennsylvania, who was recently awarded the Breakthrough Prize for his groundbreaking work in developing the first approved CAR T-cell therapy. Known as the “Father of CAR T-cell therapy,” Dr. June shared his perspective and experience in discovering and advancing CAR T-cell therapy, challenges that remain in expanding accessibility and utility of the treatment to reach as many patients as possible, advice to early career researchers, the impact PICI has had on advancing the field and more. → Read the full PICI Q&A with Dr. June for more: https://lnkd.in/emmCq8x2 → Experience Dr. June’s remarkable journey in the PICI-funded documentary "Of Medicine and Miracles." This powerful film, produced by PICI founder Sean Parker, provides an inside look at how pioneering ideas translate into reality-shifting immunotherapies that can save patients’ lives. It’s now streaming: Apple TV: https://lnkd.in/eYdyPSpW Prime Video: https://lnkd.in/eT6mRQ2N Google Play: https://lnkd.in/eXxsDjgX Vimeo: https://lnkd.in/ePwhZPRF