Sabarish Ayyappan, MD, clinical assistant professor in Hematology, Oncology, and Blood & Marrow Transplantation has received a one-year, $50,000 Developmental Research Program grant from the University of Iowa / Mayo Lymphoma Specialized Program of Research Excellence (UI/MC SPORE). The seed grant could potentially lead to larger project grants for Ayyappan depending on his discoveries.
Ayyappan writes:
Evaluation of the role of T cells in NK cell mediated antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity of lymphoma
Although advances in chemo-immunotherapy have improved outcomes in several lymphoma subtypes, not all patients benefit from such therapy in the long term, and the prognosis for many patients with relapsed and refractory disease remains poor. Monoclonal antibodies specific for CD20 including rituximab are an important component of lymphoma management and their anti-cancer activity is secondary to ADCC (antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity) mediated by NK cells. With this study, we plan to assess the changes in NK cell with rituximab therapy in the lymph nodes of treated patients and their correlation to T cells found in tumor micro-environment which may assist with this activation. Further, we will study whether this activation can be enhanced by bispecific antibodies. Based on the data from this seed grant, we plan to design a prospective clinical trial to evaluate the NK- T cell interaction and activation in patients treated with bispecific antibodies and rituximab.
For nearly 20 years, investigators at the UI/MC SPORE have advanced our understanding of lymphoma. The funds the National Cancer Institute provides in this collaborative program fuels a variety of activities from basic and population-based research to clinical trials. Learn more about the UI/MC Lymphoma SPORE: https://cancer.uiowa.edu/lymphoma-spore