Dennis Jones, PhD, Named Cancer Moonshot Scholar

Dennis Jones, PhD, assistant professor of pathology & laboratory medicine has received the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Cancer Moonshot Scholar Award. Jones was one of 11 researchers nationally who will collectively receive more than $6 million in the first year of their research.
The award was developed to help the White House Cancer Moonshot Initiative achieve the goal of inspiring and supporting world-class scientists from diverse backgrounds, including those from underrepresented groups in the biomedical sciences. It aims to advance cancer science while also diversifying the pool of early-stage investigators and approaches to research funded by the NCI.
Jones, who was awarded $2.3 million in NCI funding for five years, focuses on understanding how tumors impact the functionality of blood vessels, which are essential for cancer-fighting immune cells, such as T cells, to infiltrate tumors. His previous research found that losartan, a medication commonly used to treat high blood pressure, helped open blood vessels in breast tumors, allowing more T cells to reach and potentially attack the cancer cells. As a result of this award, he will explore how losartan affects blood vessels and T cell entry into tumors. Additionally, he will use experimental models of breast cancer to measure tumor growth after combining losartan with immunotherapy, a treatment that helps the body’s immune system fight cancer cells.
His lab also will examine breast cancer samples from the Black Women’s Health Study to see if using losartan and other similar drugs are linked to changes in the tumor’s structure, such as reduced extracellular matrix buildup, which can help more T cells infiltrate the tumor. “If successful, our study could lead to repurposing losartan, an FDA-approved drug, to improve breast cancer treatment by enhancing T cell activity when combined with immunotherapy,” he said.
A basic research scientist with expertise in vascular biology, cancer biology and immunology, Jones earned his BS in biology from Morehouse College and his PhD in immune-biology from Yale University. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School.
The Cancer Moonshot Scholars program is supported by the White House’s Cancer Moonshot Initiative and aligns with NCI’s Equity and Inclusion Program and the National Institutes of Health’s UNITE Initiative. The Center for Cancer Health Equity leads the Cancer Moonshot Scholars program, with active participation from a trans-NCI steering committee. NCI divisions that have subject matter expertise manage the individual grant awards.