Program Co-Leaders Lewis L. Lanier, PhD Joel M. Palefsky, MD

The immune system plays a critical role in protection against malignancy. Loss of immunity is associated with an increased risk of malignancy; conversely, a strong immune response may be protective, and this can be exploited for therapeutic purposes. The UCSF Cancer and Immunity Program is designed to bring together scientists exploring these two different, but clearly related, aspects of the relationship between the immune system and malignancy: its role in protection against malignancy by studying cancer in the immunocompromised host, and advancing the basic understanding of immunology to exploit the power of the immune system as a therapeutic tool for malignancy. The program brings together more than 35 immunologists, translational researchers, clinical investigators, and epidemiologists. In addition to fostering working interactions among these investigators, the program provides a forum for the development of new collaborations and interdisciplinary projects.

The overall goal of the program is to provide a scientific forum and infrastructure that can help apply new concepts and resources to understanding the role of the immune system in protection against the development of cancer, and can also relate the discoveries in basic immunology to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. A relatively new initiative of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Cancer and Immunity Program aims to unify three groups with a common interest: basic immunologists and virologists, clinical investigators with a focus on cancers resulting from the immunosuppression caused by HIV infection, and translational scientists undertaking clinical trials with cancer vaccines or immunotherapeutic drugs (e.g., antibodies and cytokines). Because the concepts and tools of immunology are broadly applicable to all forms of cancer, the Cancer and Immunity Program comprises investigators who are also members of several organ-based cancer programs within the Cancer Center.

Specific areas of research include:

• studies of basic mechanisms of immunity against tumors in mouse models;
• the role of innate immunity in tumor surveillance; the development and use of conventional and phage-derived monoclonal antibodies for diagnosis and immunotherapy of cancer;
• studies of immunity against viruses that have been implicated in tumorigenesis, such as hepatitis B virus, human herpes virus 8, and human papillomavirus;
• the role of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related immunosuppression in cancer pathogenesis;
• vaccination programs against colon, breast, and prostate cancer in humans and animal models; and
• mechanisms whereby tumors evade or suppress detection by the immune system and the causes for immunosuppression in cancer-bearing hosts. UCSF is internationally recognized for its Immunology Program, which comprises 35 faculty members with expertise in all aspects of cellular, molecular, and clinical immunology. Many of the basic immunology faculty are members of the Cancer Center and this program. The Cancer and Immunity Program provides a mechanism to enhance these collaborative interactions and activities and also will include population-based epidemiology research relating to immune function.