Co-Directors

Matthew Kulke, Hematology/Oncology;  Evan Johnson, Computational Biomedicine; David Sherr, Environmental Health; Gerald Denis, Molecular Oncology

Principal Investigators

Matthew Kulke MD, Section of Hematology/Oncology
Gerald Denis Ph.D, Sections of Hematology/Oncology and Pharmacology
Evan Johnson Ph.D, Section of Computational Biomedicine
David Sherr Ph.D., Boston University School of Public Health, Section of Environmental Health
Victoria Herrera MD, Section of Cardiology
Chao Zhang PhD, Section of Computational Biomedicine

Project Manager

Kiana Mahdaviani Ph.D, Section of Hematology/Oncology

Synopsis

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) target inhibitory receptors on T cells and antigen-presenting cells, and have transformed cancer treatment. Because the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors is dependent on T cell function, factors that affect the host immune environment can have a significant impact on treatment efficacy. Early studies have shown that levels of immunosuppressive metabolites, the host microbiome, and tumor-derived exosomes may play a role in mediating the efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors. All of these factors can be influenced, either directly or indirectly, by socioeconomic status. These associations, however, are essentially unstudied: only 4% of enrollees in clinical trials of immune checkpoint inhibitors have been from under-represented minority populations. To address this knowledge gap, we propose a broad-based study in which we will investigate associations between circulating metabolites, AhR activity, the microbiome, and tumor-derived exosomes on treatment efficacy in patients at Boston Medical Center receiving treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Our studies will utilize an expanding cancer biobank within the BU-BMC Cancer Center, and will bring clinical investigators together with laboratory-based investigators in a broad range of fields.  The findings from our study should shed light not only on how specific biomarkers are associated with immune status and treatment outcomes, but also on how these biomarkers may differ in diverse patient populations. As such, our study has broad implications for understanding cancer biology and optimizing cancer treatment.

Co-Investigators

Name Title Institution Department Area of Expertise for this Project
Norman Lee

 

 Director, Chemical Instrumentation Center BU Chemistry Metabolomics
Hui Feng Associate Professor BU Pharmacology Metabolism and Oncology
Nelson Ruiz-Opazo Professor BU Medicine, Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute Molecular genetics, and cell biology
Andrew Emili Professor, Director, Center for Network Systems Biology BU Biochemistry Proteomics/ Metabolomics
Daniel Segre Professor BU Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Physics Biostatistics, Microbiome Analysis
Maria Kukuruzinska Associate Dean, Research

 

 BU School of Dental Medicine Molecular and cell biologist with expertise in oral cancer
Stefano Monti Associate Professor BU Medicine Computational Biomedicine
Adam Lerner Professor BMC Hem/Onc Medical oncologist
Debjani Shah Assistant Professor BMC Dermatology Dermatologist
Peter Everett Assistant Professor BMC Hem/Onc Medical oncologist
Heather Edwards Assistant Professor BMC Otolaryngology Medical oncologist
Naomi Ko Assistant Professor BMC Hem/Onc Medical oncologist
Lauren Oshry Assistant Professor BMC Hem/Onc Medical oncologist
Gretchen Gignac Associate Professor BMC Hem/Onc Medical oncologist
Umit Tapan Assistant Professor BMC Hem/Onc Medical oncologist
Teviah Sachs Assistant Professor BMC Surgery Surgical Oncology
Eric Marks Assistant Professor BMC Hem/Onc Medical oncologist
Nana Addo-Tabiri MD Assistant Professor BMC Hem/Onc Medical oncologist
Hussein Assi Assistant Professor BMC Hem/Onc Medical oncologist
Anand Devaiah Professor BMC Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery

 
Kiana Mahdaviani Program Manager BMC Hem/Onc Project Manager
Meredith Halpin Assistant Professor BMC Hem/Onc Medical oncologist
Qiong Yang Associate Professor BU School of public health Biostatistician
Janice Weinberg Professor BU School of public health Biostatistician

Participating Members

Head and Neck Cancer Program

  • Peter Everett MD, Section of Hematology/Oncology
  • Heather Edwards MD, Department of Otolaryngology

Gastrointestinal Cancers Program

  • Teviah Sachs MD, Department of Surgery
  • Eric Marks MD, Section of Hematology/Oncology
  • Nana Addo-Tabiri MD, Section of HematologyOncology
  • Hussein Assi MD, Section of Hematology/Oncology

Thoracic Oncology Program

  • Kei Suzuki MD, Department of Surgery
  • Umit Tapan MD, Section of Hematology/Oncology

Cutaneous Oncology Program

  • Adam Lerner MD, Section of Hematology/Oncology
  • Debjani Shah MD, Department of Dermatology