NIH-funded research R21 grant

Designing better cancer immunotherapies using advanced computational methods

Official title: Structure-guided cancer immunotherapy design with HLA-Arena and CrossDome

Funded at University of Houston · NIH-10866859 · Data updated 2026-11-12

This study is looking for better ways to help your immune system fight Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) by finding safe and effective targets that can boost T-cells, using new technology to make the process easier and more effective.

Quick facts

Grant typeR21 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of Houston
NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Houston, United States)
Project startJuly 1, 2024
Project endJune 30, 2026
Funding year2024
Award (this year)$414,649
NIH project number1R21CA289333-01
Project IDNIH-10866859 on NIH RePORTER

Who could benefit from this research

Could help

Ideal candidates for this research are patients diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia who are seeking innovative treatment options.

Less likely to help

Patients with other types of cancer or those who do not have a diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia may not benefit from this research.

What this research studies

This research focuses on improving T-cell-based therapies for cancer, specifically targeting Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). It aims to identify safe and effective peptide targets that can activate T-cells without causing harmful side effects. By utilizing advanced structural modeling and machine learning techniques, the study will create a new computational environment called HLA-arena 2.0, which integrates various bioinformatics methods to enhance the discovery of tumor-associated antigens. This innovative approach seeks to overcome current limitations in identifying effective immunotherapy targets.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to the development of safer and more effective immunotherapies for patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

How similar studies have gone: Other research has shown promise in using structural modeling and machine learning for immunotherapy design, indicating that this approach could be a significant advancement in the field.

Where this research is happening

  • University of Houston
    Houston, United States
    Active

Researchers

  • Principal investigator: Antunes, Dinler — University of Houston
  • Study coordinator: Antunes, Dinler

Related research

Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.
Last reviewed 2026-11-14 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.