Personalized immune boost delivered directly to lymph nodes to target tumors
Personalized, antigen-directed immunotherapy delivered to lymph nodes
A personalized approach sends tumor-specific signals and checkpoint drugs to selected lymph nodes to help people with cancer’s immune systems attack tumors while reducing autoimmune side effects.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Texas Hlth Sci Ctr Houston NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11132649 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient perspective, this project aims to create personalized treatments that carry your tumor’s own antigens and checkpoint-blocking drugs straight to lymph nodes that are not already tolerant of the tumor. Researchers will develop and test antigen-directed vaccines and local delivery of checkpoint inhibitors using preclinical models, antigen-mapping methods, and collaborations between UT Houston and the University of Bern. The work uses mouse tumor models and laboratory analyses to see whether priming T cells in non-tumor-draining lymph nodes produces a stronger, tumor-specific immune response. The team intends to reduce the broad immune activation that causes immune-related side effects while generating durable anti-tumor responses.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be people with solid tumors who receive or are eligible for checkpoint inhibitor therapy, especially those with tumor-draining lymph node involvement or at risk for immune-related side effects.
Not a fit: People whose cancers lack identifiable tumor-specific antigens or whose tumors are unlikely to be controlled by T-cell responses may not benefit from this approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could produce more effective, tumor-specific immunotherapy with fewer immune-related adverse events.
How similar studies have performed: Related preclinical work on intranodal antigen delivery and combining vaccines with checkpoint blockade has shown promise, but this specific personalized lymph-node–directed strategy remains largely preclinical and untested in humans.
Where this research is happening
Houston, United States
- University of Texas Hlth Sci Ctr Houston — Houston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sevick, Eva M. — University of Texas Hlth Sci Ctr Houston
- Study coordinator: Sevick, Eva M.
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.