Grant: Project Grant

There has been tremendous excitement over the past recent years over the development of a new form of cancer treatment that aim to stimulate the immune system. These new therapeutics consists of monoclonal antibodies that block so-called immune-checkpoints. We have discovered a new immune checkpoint that promotes tumor growth: expression of the enzyme CD73 and production of extracellular adenosine. In this proposal, we will: (i) identify a patient population most likely to benefit from adenosine-targeting therapy; (ii) develop a biomarker strategy to select and monitor patients; (iii) investigate for the first time the impact of the adenosine pathway in leukemia; (iii) use mouse genetics to assess the cell-specific roles of CD73; and (iv) assess whether adenosine-targeting therapy can synergize with other treatments.