Generation of intra-tumoral stem-like tissue-resident memory CD8+ T cells, as a novel immunotherapeutic strategy against cancer

• Project/Area Number: 24K18475
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 49070:Immunology-related
• Research Institution: Institute of Physical and Chemical Research
• Principal Investigator: 野村 アニラ 国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, 生命医科学研究センター, 研究員 (20896807)
• Project Period (FY): 2024-04-01 – 2026-03-31
• Project Status: Granted (Fiscal Year 2024)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,680,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,080,000); Fiscal Year 2025: ¥2,860,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥660,000); Fiscal Year 2024: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000)
• Keywords: cancer immunotherapy / T-cell memory / Immunology

Outline of Research at the Start

Patient response rates to ICB/CAR-T therapies remain poor, due to lack of T-cell persistence.

In this research, I will identify T-cell priming conditions and tissue-derived signals for generating stem-like-TRM TILs, which can be further applied to generating CAR-T with greater longevity and memory.