UNC Researchers Investigate Why Some Stomach and Esophageal Cancers Resist Immunotherapy

A $3 million grant from the Mark Foundation will help a team of UNC School of Medicine experts identify ways to solve immunotherapy resistance, a growing problem in patients with stomach and esophageal cancer.

A new and collaborative research project co-led by Brent A. Hanks, MD, PhD, associate professor with tenure in the Department of Medicine and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, has received a $3,000,000 grant to understand tumor resistance to immunotherapy in patients with stomach and esophageal cancer.

The Endeavor Award, which is issued by the Mark Foundation for Cancer Research, supports diverse and collaborative teams of researchers as they tackle challenges in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. Hanks' project could help scientists develop new drugs that make stomach and esophageal tumors more sensitive to treatment.

"There are very few treatments available for gastroesophageal cancers beyond first line therapy," said Hanks, who is an expert on immunotherapy resistance at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. "We have had our eyes on a biological process that is particularly important for creating immunotherapy-resistant tumors. Our goal is to validate and circumvent this process to enhance responses to immunotherapy."

For this national study, Hanks will collaborate with gastrointestinal surgeons at UNC Health and other institutions nationwide to acquire tissues samples from patients with the disease. Elizabeth Brunk, PhD, an assistant professor of pharmacology at the UNC School of Medicine, will analyze clinical specimens.

Hanks lab member Bala Theivanthiran, PhD, who first discovered the biological process, will be working with geneticist and William R. Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor Jenny Ting, PhD to study the biological process in detail and develop new strategies to counter or block it.

The study comes as stomach and esophageal cancers are on the rise in North Carolina. Some of the major risk factors include obesity, genetics, chronic or untreated gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), smoking, and heavy alcohol consumption. Worldwide, stomach and esophageal cancer rank fifth among cancer-related deaths.

Read more about the team's research project here and other Endeavor Award winners here.

Media contact: Kendall Rovinsky, Communications Specialist, UNC Health | UNC School of Medicine