Houston, TX – Teh University of houston (UH) has been awarded a $3 million grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) to establish a Cancer Immunotherapy Biomarker Core (CIBC). This initiative is part of a larger $93 million grant package aimed at funding groundbreaking cancer research projects throughout the state.

State-of-the-Art Facility

The UH CIBC will be the first facility in Texas to offer targeted proteomics, a technology that enables the simultaneous study of thousands of proteins. This core facility will provide researchers across Texas with access to comprehensive targeted proteomic cancer biomarker screens, particularly benefiting those in cancer biology and immunotherapy. Services will be offered at a minimized cost, subsidized in part by CPRIT funding.

The Promise of Biomarkers

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. All of these will lead to reduced cancer associated morbidity and mortality.

Chandra Mohan, Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen endowed Professor of Biomedical Engineering and project director

Immunotherapy: A New Approach to Cancer Treatment

Immunotherapy offers a different approach to cancer treatment. Rather than directly targeting cancer cells, it trains the immune system to recognize and attack them.

Meeting the Needs of Cancer Immunotherapy

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 Dr. Mohan.

To address these needs, the CIBC will offer four unique platforms, including:

• An 11,000-plex targeted proteomic screen, enabling the screening of 11,000 specific proteins in a single body fluid sample.
• A 21,000-plex protein array platform,allowing scientists to assess the specificity of autoantibodies/ligands against the entire human proteome.

Leadership and Expertise

Dr. Chandra Mohan, an MD/PhD with over two decades of experience in engineering diagnostic arrays, will serve as the project director. He is also a member of the UH Drug revelation Institute and has reported novel biomarkers for various cancers, including colorectal, bladder, prostate, stomach, and pancreatic cancers.

Dr. 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, which includes over 100 UH faculty members. Dr. Peng has extensive expertise in immunoassays and has led projects on T cell-mediated anti-tumor immune response pathways using genetic screens and preclinical models.

University Support

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.