Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( 🔒 ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Need Help

Engineering Salmonella-based Platforms for Immunotherapy Against Immunologically Silent Tumors

Award Number: R21CA306936
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 06/01/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2028

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Engineering Salmonella-based Platforms for Immunotherapy Against Immunologically Silent Tumors - Bacterial therapy for cancer is rapidly gaining traction as a powerful approach for treating solid tumors. Among the various bacterial candidates, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) stands out due to its natural propensity to home in on tumors, its robust innate immunostimulatory properties, and the availability of multiple virulence-attenuating mutations that enhance safety. Nevertheless, key challenges persist-particularly the risk of systemic toxicity and limited efficacy against immunologically “cold” tumors that fail to mount strong immune responses. To overcome these obstacles, we will harness our extensive expertise to transform S. Typhimurium into a next-generation therapeutic platform. The proposed research will address key barriers in bacterial-based cancer therapies by 1) leveraging novel mechanisms of innate immune stimulation that can potentially overcome tumor-specific resistance to innate immune agonists, broadening the applicability of bacterial therapies; 2) integrating safety and efficacy using bacterial minicells that while ensuring a safer delivery, do not compromise their ability to stimulate the immune system; and 3) specifically engineering Salmonella to deliver antigens capable of engaging pre-existing CD8+ T cells, thus enabling targeted immune responses against antigenically diverse tumors. Together, these strategies are poised to open the door to future clinical applications of bacterial-based therapies for solid tumors—particularly those that are otherwise unresponsive to conventional immunotherapy.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $432,125 )
2026	2026	YALE UNIV	150 MUNSON ST	NEW HAVEN	CT	06511	SOUTH CENTRAL CT	USA	Cancer Treatment Research	000	1	5/19/2026	NEW	$432,125
														Subtotal = $432,125

Grand Total All Awards = $432,125

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Engineering Salmonella-based Platforms for Immunotherapy Against Immunologically Silent Tumors

Award Number: R21CA306936

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 06/01/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2028

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer