Junhao Mao receives collaborative research grant to explore new therapeutic strategy for aggressive kidney cancer

MCCB researcher Junhao Mao, PhD, and his collaborator Thomas Carroll, PhD, Director of Basic Science Research in Nephrology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, have received a joint grant from the US Department of Defense Kidney Cancer Research Program to further their work on the identification of immunomodulatory targets of TAZ/SRF in sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma progression.

Sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma (sRCC) is a rare, aggressive subtype of kidney cancer with generally poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Although the majority of sRCC patients fail to respond to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy, emerging data indicate that a subset of sRCC patients are sensitive to ICIs. Factors that promote immune evasion in sRCC represent potential therapeutic targets whose inhibition may reduce tumor growth or sensitize tumors to immunotherapy. They may also represent much needed biomarkers to accurately predict which patients will respond to ICI therapy.

Using both mouse and human models of sRCC, Drs. Mao and Carroll will explore the mechanistic basis by which the transcription factors TAZ and SRF promote immune evasion, with the goal of identifying direct transcriptional targets of TAZ and SRF involved in tumor progression and immune escape. They will also test whether pharmacological inhibitors of TAZ/SRF activity can block tumor progression and sensitize tumors to ICI therapy.

The results of the study may reveal novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers for sRCC, potentially guiding the development of more effective treatment strategies.