2015 Lung Cancer Research Foundation Annual Grant Program
Kurt Schalper, MD, PhD
Yale University
Research Project:
Summary:
Novel anti-cancer immunostimulatory therapies blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 axis induce prominent and lasting clinical responses in ∼20% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Because of the prominent but numerically low proportion of patients showing objective benefit, development of predictive biomarkers is needed to reduce overtreatment, toxicity and costs associated with these compounds. Dr. Schalper’s research aims to identify a signature associated with response or resistance to PD-1 axis therapies by measuring key components of the PD-1 axis and immune cell subsets in tumor samples using multiplexed quantitative fluorescence microscopy. Systematic and functional mapping of the PD-1 axis and immune cells using more sensitive and quantitative tools could help refine the predictive tests for optimal clinical use of PD-1 axis blockers.