Researcher Obtains Grant to Study mRNA Therapy for Colorectal Cancer
The Colorectal Cancer Alliance awarded Kevin Van der Jeught, Ph.D., a two-year, $200,000 grant to investigate an intratumoral mRNA vaccination.
Since 1999, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance (CCA) has dedicated itself to eradicating colorectal cancer, the fourth most common and second deadliest cancer in the U.S. To further improve outcomes, the CCA launched Project Cure CRC to fund breakthrough research projects and announced its first cohort of five grant recipients.
Kevin Van der Jeught, Ph.D., is one of the five.
Dr. Van der Jeught received the grant for his study on utilizing mRNA to enhance intratumoral mRNA vaccination. The main purpose of this CCA funding mission is to find effective cures that can take colorectal cancer treatment to the next level in helping patients.
This proposal was in line with the CCA’s goals, “Project Cure CRC,” for its potential immediate impact on colorectal cancer. In this research, his group aims to target immune checkpoints to improve intratumoral mRNA vaccination, leading to enhanced anti-tumor immune responses.
“This award will allow us to take our research even further,” said Dr. Van der Jeught, a Tumor Biology Program researcher at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and an assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Miller School. “We are being trusted to create new therapies, which solidifies our research, as there are currently limited therapies for people with advanced colorectal cancer. I am excited to start this, and Sylvester’s amazing team-science culture will make working with this grant a worthwhile experience.”
Using mRNA as a Cancer Therapeutic
Using mRNA in cancer is not a new approach for Dr. Van der Jeught. Since his studies in Belgium, his investigations steered him toward alternative therapies. He turned to mRNA for its effectiveness as a cancer therapeutic, he explained.
Dr. Van der Jeught’s current research will establish a new angle on improving intratumoral mRNA vaccination strategies for colorectal cancer. His lab is working on delivering mRNA to dendritic cells, a specific immune cell that is at the basis of driving anti-tumor immune responses. These dendritic cells also express several key immune regulators, which may impede a proper anti-tumor immune response upon mRNA delivery.
“The main goal of this proposal is to knock down immune checkpoint targets and see how targeting these could improve mRNA vaccination,” Dr. Van der Jeught said. “After our screenings, we want to observe the therapeutic benefits in our models. Our goal is to ensure that our work has a real chance to make it to the clinic and help patients.”
Even if it is ambitious, Dr. Van der Jeught hopes the team’s pre-clinical models will help lead to a cancer cure.
Team Science Drives Clinical Trials
While Dr. Van der Jeught is the lead principal investigator, he credits Sylvester’s collaborative team-science approach as key to moving the project forward. The future outlook for the grant involves using the data gathered to shape the design of a phase 1 clinical trial. Dr. Van der Jeught has already collaborated with Sylvester researchers Nivedh Paluvoi, M.D., an assistant professor of surgery in endoscopy projects, and Jashodeep Datta, M.D., Sylvester researcher and associate professor of surgical oncology.
He will also be working with Miller School colleagues Eli Gilboa, Ph.D., Dodson Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, and his team. Additionally, Dr. Van der Jeught credits two of his graduate students, Alberto Sigler and Alyssa Cornista, as the main pillars behind this mRNA project. They are at the forefront of developing orthotopic endoscopy-guided intratumoral mRNA injection into CRC tumors, which is key to making the proposal possible, he said.
In the international space, Karine Breckpot, Ph.D., from the University of Brussels (VUB), helped Dr. Van der Jeught quickly gear the mRNA platform. Two Belgian researchers, Lorenzo Franceschini, Ph.D., and Dorien Autaers, also spent time in Dr. Van der Jeught’s lab as visitors, spending nearly three months establishing the mRNA pipeline for optimal results.
Speaking of teamwork, Dr. Van der Jeught decided to move to the United States from Belgium seven years ago with his mother, whom he considers a core part of his “team” and a motivational force in his cancer research. She is his secret weapon and a main pillar to continue the research that he is doing, he said.
Tags: cancer research, colorectal cancer, Dr. Kevin Van der Jeught, microbiology and immunology, mRNA, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center