August 2026
Brian Koss, PhD, was awarded $3.3 million from the NCI to fund a 5-year R01 grant entitled, “Targeting the E3 Ligase RNF166 to Prevent T-cell Exhaustion in Solid Tumors.” Our preliminary studies demonstrated that E3 ligase RNF166 is a novel regulator that preserves T-cell persistence and function by limiting T-cell exhaustion, a condition that significantly impairs the clinical efficacy of adoptive T-cell therapies in the solid-tumor setting. This project will identify molecular targets of RNF166, translate these findings into RNF166-engineered CAR-T cells, and determine whether the engineered cells have enhanced immunotherapeutic efficacy in mouse models of solid tumors.