Immunobiology and Immune Therapy for Merkel Cell Carcinoma

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has officially renewed the Program Project Grant, “Immunobiology and Immune Therapy for Merkel Cell Carcinoma,” led by Paul Nghiem, MD, PhD, at the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.  

The $14.3 million grant supports collaborative research across four institutions: Fred Hutch Cancer Center, University of Washington, University of Michigan, and University of Virginia, involving more than 60 investigators and staff. 

Many of the grant recipients are members of the Merkel Cell Carcinoma Collaborative (MC3) Institute, highlighting the strength of this growing research community. Project leaders from the Department of Medicine include Drs. Shailender Bhatia, Aude Chapuis, Philip Greenberg, David Koelle, and Joshua Veatch.

The grant includes three main scientific projects, three research cores (centralized shared resources), administrative support, and patient outreach and education, all focused on understanding how Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) evades the immune system and identifying new treatments to overcome resistance to current immunotherapies.

By leveraging the unique biology of virus-driven MCC and an extensive specimen repository and clinical outcomes database, the team is well-positioned to make meaningful strides toward improving outcomes. This renewal represents a critical step forward in advancing care and treatment for Merkel cell carcinoma.