As part of the BIG10 alliance, Rutgers Cancer Institute is proud to partner with the University of Iowa's Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center on their specialized program of research excellence (SPORE) in neuroendocrine tumors.
As part of this SPORE, Rutgers Cancer Institute's William N. Hait Director, Dr. Steven Libutti, is a clinical co-leader on research project: Improving immunotherapy in pancreatic NETs.
Project 1: Improving immunotherapy in pancreatic NETs.
This multi-institutional study addressed the urgent need for better—potentially curative— treatment options for patients with metastatic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs). The role of B and/or plasma cells in pNET biology is unknown. Still, in other types of tumors, their presence is associated with better patient survival and improved response to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy.
This project will determine the importance of B/plasma cell tumor infiltrates in pNET biology and patient outcomes. Testing, for the first time, if induction of B/plasma cell tumor infiltration by cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) blockade enhances anti-tumor immunity and efficacy of ICI therapy in pNETs.
Using innovative mouse models and a window of opportunity clinical trial, researchers hope to define a new strategy to sensitize pNETs to ICI agents— promising sustained anti-tumor activity, extended patient survival, and potential cure.
Learn more about the Iowa Neuroendocrine Tumor SPORE by visiting: holden.uihealthcare.org/research/mogs-and-spores/neuroendocrine-tumors-spore