How cancers and viruses change their targets to escape the immune system
Quantifying phenotypic adaptation of biological systems in dynamic environments
Researchers will build computer-based methods to understand and predict how cancers and viruses change their antigen signatures over time and how those changes affect a patient's immune response.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Texas Engineering Experiment Station NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (College Station, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11175374 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project will combine mathematical theory with real sequencing and time-course gene expression data to track how disease cells adapt over time. Researchers will build computational models that describe how antigen signatures evolve and how T cells respond. They will validate the models using clinical and experimental data in close collaboration with hospitals and laboratories. The work aims to connect dynamic immune changes to disease behavior in cancer and infectious conditions.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants would include people with cancer or certain viral infections who can share clinical data and provide blood, tissue, or sequencing samples for analysis.
Not a fit: People without immune-driven diseases or those unwilling to provide clinical samples are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help doctors predict when a cancer or infection is likely to change and guide more personalized, timely treatments.
How similar studies have performed: Previous immune-sequencing and computational studies have provided useful insights, but combining theory-driven models with time-course clinical data in this way is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
College Station, United States
- Texas Engineering Experiment Station — College Station, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: George, Jason — Texas Engineering Experiment Station
- Study coordinator: George, Jason
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 below.