Monday, February 16, 2026 2/16/2026

Research Specialist Support of a Well-Established Cancer Immunotherapy Research Program Focused on Improving Adoptive T Cell Therapy (ACT)

Award Number: R50CA233168
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/10/2018
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2023

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Research Specialist Support of a Well-Established Cancer Immunotherapy Research Program Focused on Improving Adoptive T Cell Therapy (ACT) - Project Summary Megan Wyatt, MS is a senior Research Specialist in Chrystal Paulos, Ph.D.’s laboratory at the Medical University of South Carolina’s Hollings Cancer Center in the department of Microbiology and Immunology. Dr. Paulos is a well-established cancer immunotherapy researcher, with two current NCI R01 awards, to which Ms. Wyatt has made significant contributions. The first R01 focuses on the inducible costimulator (ICOS), which endows Th17 cells with a superior tumor-killing ability compared to those stimulated with CD28. This R01 aims to determine the mechanism by which ICOS co-stimulation promotes long-term memory and antitumor activity of Th17 cells, by focusing on a core of distinct pathways that may support their persistence, antitumor activity and durable memory generation. The second R01 builds off the Paulos lab’s discovery that human CD4+ T cell which express high levels of the enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4), also known as CD26, exhibit superior antitumor activity compared to the traditional Th1, Th2, and even Th17 subsets. The goal of this R01 is to identify the mechanisms by which CD26 regulates the antitumor activity of CD26high CD4+ T cells in vivo, and to clarify the stemness properties of these cells. Ms. Wyatt developed an interest in translational research while completing her Master of Science degree at the College of Charleston. She joined Dr. Paulos’ lab after learning of her exciting immunotherapy research. Ms. Wyatt was first assigned to run a P01-derived T cell transduction core, which developed her basic T cell research skills and allowed her to contribute to several different projects with the labs within the P01 grant. Her efforts on this project has been featured in several high-impact publications from both Dr. Paulos’ group and other co-investigators. Ms. Wyatt became quite proficient in T cell transduction because of her work in the core, and has been sought out for her expertise by other researchers both at MUSC and externally looking for training and assistance in developing their own transduction protocols. As the P01 ended, Dr. Paulos transitioned Ms. Wyatt to various projects supporting her two R01 grants. Ms. Wyatt has taken on the role of processing and analyzing tumor biopsies obtained from Dr. Paulos’ collaborations with physician scientists at MUSC, and using findings from these studies to further the clinical significance of Dr. Paulos’ research programs. She also successfully brought CRISPR/Cas9 technology into the lab and was able to knock out CD26 from human T cells, allowing for further exploration into its role in antitumor immunity. Moving forward, Ms. Wyatt will continue to support Dr. Paulos’ research programs by conducting critical experiments for the CD26 R01, and providing assistance and guidance for the continuation of the ICOS R01. Her efforts will be essential to the success of these programs, and will be critical for Dr. Paulos to further develop new research programs which will continue to advance and improve adoptive immunotherapy for cancer patients.


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: 2024 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2024	2022	EMORY UNIVERSITY	201 DOWMAN DR NE	ATLANTA	GA	30322	DEKALB	USA	Cancer Treatment Research	000	5	2/13/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $108,145 )
2022	2022	EMORY UNIVERSITY	201 DOWMAN DR	ATLANTA	GA	30322	DEKALB	USA	Cancer Treatment Research	000	5	8/30/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$108,145
														Subtotal = $108,145

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $108,145 )
2021	2021	EMORY UNIVERSITY	201 DOWMAN DR	ATLANTA	GA	30322	DEKALB	USA	Cancer Treatment Research	002	4	8/6/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$108,145
2021	2020	EMORY UNIVERSITY	201 DOWMAN DR	ATLANTA	GA	30322	DEKALB	USA	Cancer Treatment Research	001	3	2/2/2021	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$69,733
2021	2019	MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA THE	179 ASHLEY AVE	CHARLESTON	SC	29425	CHARLESTON	USA	Cancer Treatment Research	000	2	2/2/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$69,733
														Subtotal = $108,145

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $108,145 )
2020	2020	EMORY UNIVERSITY	201 DOWMAN DR	ATLANTA	GA	30322	DEKALB	USA	Cancer Treatment Research	001	3	8/20/2020	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$108,145
2020	2019	MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA THE	179 ASHLEY AVE	CHARLESTON	SC	29425	CHARLESTON	USA	Cancer Treatment Research	000	2	8/20/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $108,145

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = $103,639 )
2019	2019	MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA	179 ASHLEY AVE	CHARLESTON	SC	29425	CHARLESTON	USA	Cancer Treatment Research	000	2	8/7/2019	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$103,639
														Subtotal = $103,639

Issue Date FY: 2018 ( Subtotal = $103,639 )
2018	2018	MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA	179 ASHLEY AVE	CHARLESTON	SC	29425	CHARLESTON	USA	Cancer Treatment Research	000	1	9/10/2018	NEW	$103,639
														Subtotal = $103,639

Grand Total All Awards = $531,713

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Research Specialist Support of a Well-Established Cancer Immunotherapy Research Program Focused on Improving Adoptive T Cell Therapy (ACT)

Award Number: R50CA233168

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

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

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/10/2018

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2023

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer