Boosting immune therapy in oral/head-and-neck cancer with chemokines
Official title: Reprogramming the Tumor Immune Microenvironment with Chemokines to Potentiate Immune Oncology Treatments in Oral Cancer
Funded at University of California, San Diego · NIH-11284019 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research gives immune-signaling proteins called chemokines into oral tumors to attract and activate killer immune cells and help immunotherapy work better for people with HPV-negative head and neck cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Diego NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project start | March 1, 2024 |
| Project end | January 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $574,900 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DE033909-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11284019 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
The eventual candidates would be adults with HPV-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, especially those with locally advanced disease or poor responses to current checkpoint inhibitor therapy.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with HPV-positive head and neck cancers, tumors not reachable for intratumoral delivery, or medical conditions that prevent immune activation may not benefit from this approach.
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective, researchers will deliver chemokines directly into oral/head-and-neck tumors to draw in CD8 T cells, NK cells, and dendritic cells that help kill cancer. They will combine this intratumoral chemokine approach with immune checkpoint blockade to see if tumors shrink more and immune responses improve. Most work will use advanced mouse models that resemble human disease while researchers measure immune cell infiltration, antigen presentation, and tumor control using laboratory assays. Findings are intended to guide treatments that could later be tested in patients at clinical centers.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could increase how many head and neck cancer patients respond to immunotherapy and possibly improve survival with fewer toxic treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Related chemokine- or immune-priming strategies have shown promise in preclinical models but have not yet produced consistent clinical success in head and neck cancer.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gutkind, Jorge Silvio — University of California, San Diego
- Study coordinator: Gutkind, Jorge Silvio
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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.