Page 5 – Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center

Investigating Cancer Immunotherapy Effects on COVID-19 Outcomes

Recent findings from research led by University of Cincinnati researcher Trisha Wise-Drapher illuminate the effect of immunosuppression and immunotherapy for patients with cancer and COVID-19. This investigation began with a primary focus on understanding the effects of immunotherapy on COVID-19 severity, specifically if immunotherapy treatment is associated with worse clinical outcomes for cancer patients with COVID-19. The data of 12,046 patients was reviewed and evaluated with metrics including: whether patients were admitted to the hospital, if they required oxygen, or required ICU care. These analyses suggest that patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 that had baseline immunosuppression and followed immunotherapy treatment may have poorer clinical outcomes, whereas patients with immunotherapy alone had no change in outcome quality.

New approaches to needle-less vaccine delivery

Dr. Poznansky quoted in an article in the Boston Globe about new approaches to needleless vaccine delivery. VIC has its own project in this arena in collaboration with Dr. Natalie Artzi at Brigham and Womens Hospital.

A novel cuproptosis-related immune checkpoint gene signature identification and experimental validation in hepatocellular carcinoma

As current staging systems for cancer are typically found through anatomical evaluations of the disease, stratification of patients for treatment and further therapy strategies prove difficult. Much potential remains in cancer biomarker research for the identification of prognostic gene expression signatures capable of classifying tumor subgroups via their biological counterparts. With the advancements in genomic and transcriptomic technologies, researchers are making great discoveries in cancer biomarkers for detection, prediction of therapeutic response and prognoses of cancer. Recent research highlights a new cuproptosis (copper-induced death) related immune checkpoint gene signature recently investigated as a potential biomarker for anticancer therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Advancing Cures carcinoma checkpoint cuproptosis-related experimental gene hepatocellular identification immune novel signature validation VIC

Cancer-seeking molecular delivery system could boost immunotherapy drug, research finds

For past decades, the treatment of cancer has generally meant surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or a combination of the above. Through recent work from a collaboration of researchers from the University of Rhode Island and Yale University comes the promising new approach of delivering immunotherapy agents, STING agonists, via a cancer-seeking molecular delivery system. The delivery relies on the acid-seeking molecule- pHLIP. These molecules deliver cargo directly to the tumor environment via targeting of the high acidity of cancerous tumors. Through this novel drug delivery technique, cancer immunotherapy may become even more effective.

Advancing Cures Cancer-seeking could boost delivery drug finds immunotherapy MGH molecular research system VIC

Heal Ukraine Group Webinar: The Growing Humanitarian and Health Care Crisis in Ukraine. October 11, 2022

Healthcare Leaders speak about their direct experience of their work with NGOs in Ukraine describing current unmet needs, opportunities to help and continuing challenges.

Addressing the mental health crisis for Ukrainians in war and peace.

“Ongoing military operations by Russia not only pose a threat to the physical health of Ukrainian civilians but also grave danger to their psychological wellbeing. Mental health consequences of trauma are often overlooked and may be mostly invisible. As such, resources for mental healthcare are generally not prioritized. This neglect is a mistake. Humanitarian responses, including support from host countries, funders, and intergovernmental organizations must address both immediate and long-term mental health needs of Ukrainians.”

Hart Opinion Peace The Hill Ukraine Ukrainians War

VIC lab members enjoying social gatherings this summer.

Lab members gathered on a sunny July afternoon for the annual VIC at Myopia Polo event alongside VIC friends and family. Cocktails and hors d’ oeuvre’s were enjoyed while socializing and watching the competitive tournament play.

Liam Dwyer was presented with the Will Tankard Scholar Award as the most dedicated young scientist at VIC in 2022. This award is given out in memory of a courageous young polo player dedicated to improving his craft.

Lab members took the opportunity to gather for a pot luck picnic with many members contributing delightful homemade treats representative of their home countries.

Undergraduates enjoy a successful summer internship at VIC!

VIC hosted six undergraduate student interns this summer

Alice Barocco and Jacob Smith came from Imperial College, London. The Professor Dulcie Coleman Endowed Student Training Award is sponsored by Dr. Mark Poznansky in memory of his mother who was an eminent research scientist at Imperial College. This is a competitive application process and the top two students were both given the award this year.

James Adeosun came from Clare College, Cambridge University, where Dr. Poznansky studied for his PhD.. A top student is selected internally and interviewed and approved by Dr. Poznansky.

Saumya Maheshwari came from Edinburgh University Medical School. Dr. Poznansky gained his undergraduate and medical degrees at this institution. This is the first year this program has been implemented and there was an overwhelming number of applications.

Katie Lu is an undergraduate at Stamford University and successfully applied for the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center Summer Research Studentship Program.

Jolade Adebekun is an undergraduate at Harvard University and joined us at VIC though the Summer Research Training Program (SRTP) organized by the Center for Diversity and Inclusion at MGH.

All of the students join us for a period of 12 weeks and are mentored by VIC Principal Investigators and Senior Scientists and have the opportunity to contribute to relevant ongoing research studies and to be included on the resulting publications. This has been a highly motivated group who have integrated into the lab exceptionally well over the summer and it has been a pleasure to spend time with them.

Precise reconstruction of the TME using bulk RNA-seq and a machine learning algorithm trained on artificial transcriptomes.

Publication in Cancer Cell: Precise reconstruction of the TME using bulk RNA-seq and a machine learning algorithm trained on artificial transcriptomes.

This manuscript was written with colleagues from across countries and institutions with major contributions from Vic’s scientists, Susan Raju Paul and Patrick Reeves.

The Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center, MGH (Charlestown, MA) and the Division of Thoracic Surgery, MGH (Boston, MA) collaborated with an external industry partner, BostonGene Corporation (Waltham, MA) to assist in validating a new proprietary RNA-Seq deconvolution algorithm, Kassandra, which has a potential for future clinical application. The manuscript detailing the work was published in Cancer Cell in August 2022. This project was led by Dr Mark Poznansky, along with VIC Scientists Dr Susan Raju Paul and Dr Patrick Reeves, in collaboration with Dr Michael Lanuti and the team at MGH Thoracic Surgery.

algorithm and a machine learning artificial Cancer Cell of the TME Precise Publications reconstruction RNA-seq trained on transcriptomes using bulk

Evaluation of a Human T Cell-Targeted Multi-Epitope Vaccine for Q Fever in Animal Models of Coxiella burnetti Immunity.

Publication in Frontiers in Immunology: Evaluation of a Human T Cell-Targeted Multi-Epitope Vaccine for Q Fever in Animal Models of Coxiella burnetti Immunity.

Ann Sluder and Mark Poznansky are first and last authors with major contributions from Christine Rollier and the team at Epivax as well as contributions from the Oxford Vaccine Group and colleagues at Colorado State University.