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2020 Rebecca and Nathan Milikowsky-PCF Young Investigator Award

Targeting Fc Gamma Receptors with Stereotactic Radiation to Reprogram Myeloid-Derived Immune Cells in the Prostate Tumor Microenvironment

Ariel Marciscano, MD

Weill Cornell Medicine

Mentors: Chris Barbieri, MD, PhD; Sandra Demaria, MD; Charles Drake, MD, PhD

Description:

  • Immunotherapies have been highly effective in certain cancer types but have had limited activity in prostate cancer. New strategies to improve immunotherapy in prostate cancer are greatly needed.
  • Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is a form of highly focused radiation therapy that delivers extremely precise and intense doses of radiation to tumors. SBRT may also activate the immune system and synergize with immunotherapy.
  • Dr. Ariel Marciscano is studying the impact of SBRT on myeloid cells in prostate cancer. Myeloid cells are a family of immune cells that are common in prostate cancer and can suppress the immune system’s ability to eradicate tumors.
  • Myeloid cells express an important immune-signaling protein called Fc gamma receptor (FcɣR). The amount and type of FcɣRs expressed by myeloid cells can determine if a myeloid cell has immune-suppressive or immune-activating functions.
  • In this project, Dr. Marciscano will determine if SBRT alters Fc gamma receptors (FcɣR) on myeloid cells in prostate tumors. He will also explore if radiation-induced FcɣRs can be therapeutically targeted to boost immune responses and improve immunotherapy in prostate cancer–particularly when combined with SBRT.

What this means to patients: Radiation therapy can sometimes activate anti-tumor immune responses, and strategies that boost this effect will improve treatment efficacy and outcomes for patients. Dr. Marciscano will explore whether targeting FcɣRs on myeloid cell is an effective strategy to enhance the immune response to SBRT in men with prostate cancer.