Targeting immune markers in Ewing Sarcoma to guide safer, more effective therapies
Official title: Attacking the Immunopeptidome of Ewing Sarcoma
Funded at Stanford University · NIH-11396515 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A funded project at Stanford aims to use immune markers on Ewing Sarcoma to develop targeted immunotherapies that work in children and adults with this cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stanford University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stanford, United States) |
| Project start | September 11, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $697,814 |
| NIH project number | 5U01CA281865-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11396515 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with Ewing Sarcoma, including children and young adults, who have high expression of the identified target antigens or who could participate in follow-up immune therapy development.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose tumors do not express the target antigens or who have contraindications to immune-based therapies may see no benefit.
What this research studies
This project focuses on Ewing Sarcoma, a pediatric- and young-adult cancer, to identify immune system targets that are present on tumor cells but not on essential normal tissues. Researchers will profile the tumor’s immunopeptidome to find peptides presented by HLA molecules, including non-mutant antigens like LIPI and IGF2BP1, that could be attacked by immune therapies. The goal is to overcome immune tolerance and create safer, more effective treatments that bypass the limitations of current therapies. The work builds on existing knowledge that pediatric tumors often have low mutation burdens and may respond best to targeted immune approaches rather than traditional checkpoint inhibitors. If successful, these findings could lead to new adoptive cell transfer strategies or other immune-based treatments for Ewing Sarcoma patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Potentially enabling personalized immune therapies for Ewing Sarcoma that spare normal tissues while attacking tumor cells.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has shown that non-mutant, overexpressed self-antigens can be targeted by immune approaches, with this study expanding that concept to Ewing Sarcoma.
Where this research is happening
-
Stanford University
Stanford, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mackall, Crystal — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Mackall, Crystal
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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.