Choueiri Lab
Principal Investigator: Toni Choueiri
Institution: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston, MA)
Primary Subfield: Molecular & Cell Bio
Recruitment Status: Inquire for rotation/fellowship opportunities
Research Focus
PROJECT SUMMARY Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer treatment but come with the significant downside of immune-related adverse events (irAEs), which can lead to treatment discontinuation, hospitalization, or even death. Understanding the mechanisms behind irAEs is imperative, not only to minimize toxicity but also because irAEs are paradoxically linked to positive anti-tumor responses, while their aggressive management correlates with increased relapse risk. Our research posits that gaining a nuanced understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying irAEs could enable clinicians to differentiate between clinical benefits and harmful side effects, thus optimizing immunotherapy efficacy. We have previously shown that germline variants are associated with irAEs, and have also noted that somatic alterations impact immunotherapy efficacy by interacting with the immune environment. Short-term Objectives: Aim 1: We plan to conduct the largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) for irAEs, covering over 13,000 ICI patients, using novel imputation and survival models. This will include aggregating pan-cancer data across multiple cohorts. We aim to characteriz…
Active NIH Awards
- 4R01CA293091-03: Assessment of germline variants associated with immune-related adverse events following immune checkpoint inhibitors (2026)
- 5R01CA266424-05: Tissue-based biomarkers of anti-PD-1-based therapy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (2026)
- 5P30CA006516-61: Program 52: Kidney Cancer (2026)
- 5R01CA266424-04: Tissue-based biomarkers of anti-PD-1-based therapy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (2025)
- 5R01CA293091-02: Assessment of germline variants associated with immune-related adverse events following immune checkpoint inhibitors (2025)
Explore 700+ US Biology Labs on FindBioLabs.com