Harnessing the immune system to fight lung cancer

Institution:	University of California, Los Angeles
Investigator(s):	Asa Andersson, Ph.D.
Award Cycle:	2009 (Cycle 18)	Grant #: 18FT-0165	Award: $117,637
Subject Area:	Cancer
Award Type:	Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards

Abstracts

Initial Award Abstract

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates that lung cancer will be responsible for approximately 161,840 deaths in the United States during 2008. Epidemiological studies show a strong correlation between tobacco smoking and lung cancer. Approximately 85% of all lung cancers occur in current or former cigarette smokers. In the US, there are currently fifty million smokers and fifty million former smokers. Thus, approximately one third of the US population is at high risk for this disease. According to Cancer Facts and Figures 2008, tobacco use accounts for at least 30% of all cancer deaths and 87% of all lung cancer deaths. With the existing therapeutic efforts, the long term survival for lung cancer patients remains low with only 15% surviving for 5 years following diagnosis. Therefore, new therapeutic strategies are clearly needed. One such approach would be to develop immune therapy for lung cancer. Immune approaches remain attractive because although surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy alone or in combination produce high response rates in all histological types of lung cancer, relapse is unavoidable. Thus, strategies to harness the immune system to react against the tumors could be utilized in a combined approach with novel agents or existing forms of therapy for more effective tumor control and long term cancer free survival. In this proposal we will study how lung cancer cells escape from the immune cells and how a protein called interleukin 7/interleukin 7 receptor alpha-Fc activate the immune cells of our body to fight lung cancer. The results of our findings could help develop therapy against lung cancer.

Publications

Role ofCXCR3 ligands in IL-7/IL-7R{alpha}-Fc-mediated antitumor activity in lung cancer
Periodical: Clinical Cancer Research			Index Medicus:
Authors: Andersson A, Srivastava MK, Harris-White M, Huang M, Zhu L, ElashoffD, Strieter RM, Dubine				ART
Yr: 2011	Vol: 17	Nbr: 11	Abs:	Pg: 3660-72

Novel CCL21-vault nanocapsule intratumoral delivery inhibits lung cancer growth
Periodical: PLOS One			Index Medicus:
Authors: Kar UK, Srivastava MK, Andersson A, Baratelli F, Huang M, Kickhoefer VA, Dubinett SM, Rom				ART
Yr: 2011	Vol: 6	Nbr: 5	Abs:	Pg: e18758

Myeloid Suppressor Cells and Immune Modulation in Lung Cancer
Periodical: Future Medicine, Immunotherapy			Index Medicus:
Authors: Minu K Srivastava, Asa Andersson, Li Zhu, Mami Harris-White, Jay M Lee, Steven Dubinett, S				ART
Yr: 2012	Vol:	Nbr:	Abs:	Pg:

Role ofCXCR3 ligands in IL-7/IL-7R{alpha}-Fc-mediated antitumor activity in lung cancer
Periodical: Clinical Cancer Research			Index Medicus:
Authors: Andersson A, Srivastava MK, Harris-White M, Huang M, Zhu L, ElashoffD, Strieter RM, Dubine				ART
Yr: 2011	Vol: 17	Nbr: 11	Abs:	Pg: 3660-72

Novel CCL21-vault nanocapsule intratumoral delivery inhibits lung cancer growth
Periodical: PLOS One			Index Medicus:
Authors: Kar UK, Srivastava MK, Andersson A, Baratelli F, Huang M, Kickhoefer VA, Dubinett SM, Rom				ART
Yr: 2011	Vol: 6	Nbr: 5	Abs:	Pg: e18758

Myeloid Suppressor Cells and Immune Modulation in Lung Cancer
Periodical: Future Medicine, Immunotherapy			Index Medicus:
Authors: Minu K Srivastava, Asa Andersson, Li Zhu, Mami Harris-White, Jay M Lee, Steven Dubinett, S				ART
Yr: 2012	Vol:	Nbr:	Abs:	Pg: