Algorithms to find HLA-E neoantigens for cancer immunotherapy
Official title: Algorithms for HLA-E based cancer immunotherapy
Funded at University of Maryland Baltimore · NIH-11618504 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Aims to develop computer methods to discover tumor-specific targets presented by HLA-E to guide new T cell therapies for cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Maryland Baltimore NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $75,000 |
| NIH project number | 1R56CA308267-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11618504 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with brain tumors or other cancers expressing HLA-E–restricted targets could benefit from future therapies developed using these algorithms.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without tumors expressing HLA-E–presented neoantigens or who are not candidates for HLA-E–targeted therapies may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project combines computer algorithms and lab data to uncover cancer-specific neoantigens that are presented by HLA-E. The team will build and refine bioinformatics tools to mine proteogenomic data and predict peptide-HLA-E interactions, then validate findings using mass spectrometry and existing biological models. The goal is to enable broader and more effective T cell therapies by targeting HLA-E-restricted antigens that are shared across tumors. If successful, these methods could speed up the identification of new targets for patient-specific or broadly applicable treatments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: It could lead to faster discovery of universal or tumor-specific targets for HLA-E–restricted immunotherapies.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary work shows that HLA-E–restricted targets are detectable and that proteogenomic approaches can identify relevant neoantigens; this builds on those advances.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Maryland Baltimore
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhang, Chunchao — University of Maryland Baltimore
- Study coordinator: Zhang, Chunchao
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.