A pioneering approach to cancer immunotherapy focusing on macrophage behavior could revolutionize treatment for solid tumors, an area where current immunotherapy methods have shown limited success. Dr. Meghan Morrissey, an assistant professor at UC Santa Barbara's Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, has been awarded the prestigious Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award to pursue this promising research direction.
The $400,000 award, renewable for an additional $400,000 based on progress, will support Morrissey's innovative work on reprogramming macrophages – immune cells that typically eliminate pathogens and damaged cells through phagocytosis. This recognition places her among just five scientists selected annually for this honor, following her recent American Cancer Society Trailblazer Award.
Advancing CAR Technology for Solid Tumors
Building on her postdoctoral work, Morrissey developed synthetic Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs) designed to direct macrophages to target cancer cells. While initially focused on blood cancers, her research has evolved to address the more challenging realm of solid tumors, where current immunotherapy approaches often fall short.
"Macrophages are very common in solid tumors, which have been the hardest to treat with current immunotherapy options," Morrissey explains. This natural presence of macrophages in solid tumors makes them particularly promising as therapeutic targets.
Addressing Key Challenges in Macrophage Function
Recent findings from Morrissey's lab have revealed a critical challenge: instead of completely engulfing cancer cells, most macrophages in solid tumors merely "nibble" at them. This partial consumption not only fails to effectively kill cancer cells but can actually make them harder to target by removing the surface markers that immune cells use to identify them.
The research team will investigate the factors determining whether cancer cells survive or die after macrophage interaction. Their goal is to enhance cell-killing mechanisms while preventing cancer cell survival strategies, potentially opening new avenues for more effective immunotherapy treatments.
Future Implications and Research Direction
"Funding from the Runyon Foundation will allow us to start this exciting new project, which is currently much too risky for most funding agencies," says Morrissey. The foundation, known for supporting "brave and bold" projects, has a track record of funding visionary scientists, including 13 Nobel laureates.
Over the next four years, Morrissey's team aims to develop this experimental approach into a mature research line that could attract broader scientific interest and potentially lead to more effective treatments for solid tumors, addressing a significant unmet need in cancer therapy.
