University of Houston awarded $3M to launch cancer biomarker facility for immunotherapy research

(Press-News.org) Key takeaway:  
The new University of Houston Cancer Immunotherapy Biomarker Core facility will accelerate biomarker discovery, improve immunotherapy targeting and expand research capacity across Texas — enhancing the state's competitiveness in cancer research and ultimately improving patient outcomes.  HOUSTON, May 27 -- As part of a $93 million grant package, the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, known for funding groundbreaking projects, has awarded the University of Houston $3 million to set up a Cancer Immunotherapy Biomarker Core. This state-of-the-art facility will offer researchers in Texas the most comprehensive targeted proteomic cancer biomarker screens currently feasible, particularly in the field of cancer biology and immunotherapy.  

UH CIBC will be the first such facility in Texas to offer targeted proteomics, which is the technology that makes it possible to study thousands of proteins at once and will offer its services at a minimized cost partly subsidized by CPRIT funding. 

“Identifying better biomarkers for cancer will accelerate early diagnosis and better prognostication of cancer, better monitoring of disease progression and treatment response possibly leading to the identification of better medications for treating cancer,” said Chandra Mohan, Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Endowed Professor of Biomedical Engineering and project director. “All of these will lead to reduced cancer associated morbidity and mortality.” 

Rather than targeting cancer cells directly, immunotherapy treats cancer by training the immune system to find and attack the cancer cells.  

“Cancer immunotherapy is experiencing a meteoric rise, and this new chapter in oncology demands a new array of biomarkers, including blood and tissue biomarkers that predict who might respond best to immunotherapy, and biomarkers that help researchers identify the best targets for immunotherapy,” said Mohan.  

To meet these needs the CIBC will offer four unique platforms that include a 11,000- plex targeted proteomic screen that allows 11,000 specific proteins to be screened in any single body fluid sample, representing the largest proteomic coverage possible, as well as 21,000-plex protein array platform that allows scientists to assess the specificity of autoantibodies/ligands against the entire human proteome. 

The core is designed to meet these objectives:  

To offer targeted exploratory proteomic technologies for protein biomarker discovery 

To offer targeted exploratory technologies for identifying novel autoantibodies, neoantigens and binding ligands 

To educate and promote the adoption of contemporary proteomic technologies among Texas researchers 

Mohan, an MD/PhD, has over two decades of expertise in engineering diagnostic arrays and using the platforms offered and is a member of the UH Drug Discovery Institute. He has reported novel biomarkers for colorectal, bladder, prostate, stomach and pancreatic cancers. Weiyi Peng, also an MD/PhD, an immunologist and associate professor of biology and biochemistry, will co-lead the CIBC. She directs the Drug Discovery Institute Immunology Core, with more than 100 UH faculty members. Peng has long-standing expertise in immunoassays and has led projects on T cell-mediated anti-tumor immune response pathways using genetic screens and preclinical models.  

"We are thrilled that Drs. Mohan and Peng received this award. The core is dedicated to immunology research, which aligns with our research priorities,” said Claudia Neuhauser, University of Houston vice president for research. “It will add a critical component to our research infrastructure and synergize with the University-wide Drug Discovery Institute that supports immunology research." 

CPRIT is considered a national model for a state-based, voter-approved cancer research and prevention initiative. All CPRIT grant applications undergo rigorous, independent, unbiased, merit-based peer review. 

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