CAP-IT Center for LNP RNA Immunoprevention

The overall goal of CAP-IT Center for Immunoprevention (CRI) is to pre-clinically delineate, formulate and validate nucleic acid vaccines for precision prevention of individuals with increased cancer risk. The PI is Dr. Lipkin, an established leader in Cancer Prevention who has made several important, clinically translated contributions to the field. Project 1 will develop and validate an immunoprevention vaccine for Lynch syndrome, a genetic cancer predisposition syndrome with highly immunogenic recurrent neoantigens shared among cancers from different patients. Project 2 will develop and validate a nucleic acid immune interception vaccine for patients with lung non-solid nodule (NSN) pre-malignant neoplasms, a lung adenocarcinoma precursor lesion. To achieve these goals, we will use state-of-the-art technologies, including nucleic acid vaccine formulation, computational genomic tumor immunology, spatial genomics and immunopeptidomics. To ensure CRI's scientific rigor and excellence, we have assembled a scientifically outstanding CRI External Advisory Board (EAB). Overall, the CAP-IT CRI will develop state-of-the-art nucleic acid immunoprevention and immune interception vaccines and provide a technologically powerful platform to jumpstart additional CAP-IT CRI vaccine projects. We anticipate that CAP-IT CRI will propel both Lynch syndrome and lung NSN vaccines to NCI PREVENT and CP-NET clinical trials and FDA approval/clinical translation.