CAP-IT Center for LNP RNA Immunoprevention

The overall goal of CAP-IT Center for RNA Immunoprevention (CRI) is to pre-clinically delineate, formulate and validate liponanoparticle RNA (LNP RNA) 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 LNP RNA 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 an LNP RNA 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 LNP RNA 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), which includes 2021 Lasker Award winner Drew Weissman (Penn) for his work on LNP RNA COVID19 vaccines. Overall, the CAP-IT CRI will develop state-of-the-art LNP RNA immunoprevention and immune interception vaccines and provide a technologically powerful platform to jumpstart additional CAP-IT CRI LNP RNA 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 within the next 5 years and FDA approval/clinical translation within ten years.