Finding immune T cells that target oral cancer
Official title: Leveraging single-cell co-culture and gene expression profiling to identify tumor antigen-specific T cells in oral cancer
Funded at Medical College of Wisconsin · NIH-11309552 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are using single-cell testing to find and grow immune T cells that can specifically attack oral squamous cell carcinoma for people with this cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Medical College of Wisconsin NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Milwaukee, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2025 |
| Project end | March 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $390,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DE034360-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11309552 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with oral squamous cell carcinoma who can provide tumor tissue (biopsy or surgical specimen) and blood or immune-cell samples.
✕Less likely to help
People without oral squamous cell carcinoma, or those unable to provide tumor tissue or who need immediate standard treatment, are unlikely to benefit directly from participation.
What this research studies
This project works with tumor samples and immune cells taken from people with oral squamous cell carcinoma to watch single tumor cells interact with individual T cells. Using a high-throughput single-cell co-culture platform and single-cell RNA and TCR sequencing, the team will isolate T cells that kill tumor cells and read the receptors they use. The goal is to identify tumor-antigen-specific T cell receptors that could guide personalized immune therapies. Patients would contribute tumor tissue and immune cells that researchers will analyze and sometimes grow in the lab.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could enable new personalized T-cell therapies or better immunotherapy targets for people with oral squamous cell carcinoma.
How similar studies have gone: Related TIL and TCR-based approaches have shown durable benefit in cancers like melanoma, but applying single-cell co-culture and sequencing to find OSCC-specific T cells is a newer, less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zenga, Joseph — Medical College of Wisconsin
- Study coordinator: Zenga, Joseph
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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.