Jessica Thaxton, PhD, MsCR, associate professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology at the UNC School of Medicine and co-leader of the Cancer Cell Biology Research Program at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been awarded a prestigious $700,000 grant from the Mathers Foundation to support research into the role of the endoplasmic reticulum in T-cell metabolism and cancer development.
The highly competitive national award is provided by the G. Harold & Leila Y. Mathers Foundation, a private philanthropic foundation that funds high-risk, high-reward basic biomedical research with the potential to advance human health. Thaxton’s grant is the first Mathers Foundation award made to a UNC-Chapel Hill faculty member in the past 20 years.
“Of recent successes that have come out of my research program, the Mathers Foundation is the one that I am proudest of,” Thaxton said. “My work is exceptionally cross-disciplinary. We integrate stress biology, immunology and cell biology concepts to create novel treatments for patients with cancer.”
Working at the intersection of cell biology and immunology, Thaxton has carved a unique niche in tumor immunotherapy by studying how the harsh tumor microenvironment disrupts fundamental cellular processes in immune cells.
Her research project, titled “Endoplasmic Reticulum Architecture as a Determinant of T-Cell Metabolism in Cancer,” will examine how a key structure inside cells — the endoplasmic reticulum — affects T-cell energy use and function in tumors. The project will explore whether adjusting the shape and organization of the endoplasmic reticulum can help recharge immune cells so they can better destroy tumors.
Thaxton’s proposal builds on her earlier discovery that the endoplasmic reticulum becomes dysfunctional in T cells fighting cancer. While researchers have long studied how tumors suppress immune responses, less is known about how the structure and organization of cellular organelles influence the ability of T cells to eliminate cancer cells.
For the project, Thaxton will rely on the expertise of faculty in the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology and UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.
“The project is a culmination of the expertise I have gained since I joined the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology at the School of Medicine and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center in 2022,” Thaxton said. “The proposal is a testament to the extraordinary group of faculty I have the fortune to be surrounded with daily.”