Cancer immunotherapy, specifically Adoptive Cell Therapy (ACT), has revolutionized treatment approaches using genetically modified T cells to recognize and eliminate cancer cells. However, tumors combat this by creating an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) blocking effective antitumor immune responses.  Dendritic cells (DCs) are innate immune cells that act as messengers between the innate and adaptive systems.   In the Oda lab we have designed Dual Costimulatory Receptor (DCRs) that combine a FLT3L or CD40L ectodomain with different costimulatory endodomains (e.g. CD40, 4-1BB, OX40), to provide both T cell-extrinsic and -intrinsic costimulatory signals.  These DCRs are expressed on the surface of antigen specific T cells, and the combination of these signals allows for enhanced tumor antigen presentation and dendritic cell activation, leading to an increase of the immune response to target and destroy cancer tumors. I will investigate how incorporating DCRs on T cells will enhance ACT effectiveness. I hypothesize these DCR signals on T cells will enhance dendritic cell function in the TME, allowing for increased T cell activation and antitumor immune responses. To test this, I will conduct in vitro coculture experiments to determine how DCR-T cells, dendritic cells, and pancreatic cancer cells interact together. I will study the interactions of these immune cells using live cell imaging technology such as the Incucyte. Additionally, I will analyze the phenotypes of our distinct cell populations via flow cytometry.  This research aims to enhance the development of immunotherapy for Pancreatic and all solid cancers by improving the recognition of cancer cells from the immune system. These results could help pave the way for improving solid tumor cancer treatment.

Introduction: Evidence-based treatments (EBT), such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) remain underused in community mental health (CMH) settings in part due to financial, time, and geographical barriers associated with training clinicians in-person. Virtual EBT training offers a potentially cost-effective and feasible alternative; however, limited research has examined its effectiveness in improving clinicians' perceived knowledge and skills for treating youth with various mental health conditions. The current study uses benchmarking analyses to compare change in perceived knowledge and skill levels for treating youth with depression, anxiety, trauma and behavior problems among clinicians trained in-person versus those trained online. Method: Participants included 1,250 Washington State CMH clinicians (Mage=35.58 years, SD=12.12, 92% Master’s level) involved in the CBT+ initiative, a Washington statewide EBT training program. Of these clinicians, 658 attended training in-person (years 2016–2019), while 592 participated virtually (years 2020–2023). Clinicians self-reported their perceived knowledge and skill levels for treating youth with depression, anxiety, trauma, and behavior problems before training and after completing a six-month consultation period. Results: Preliminary analyses using paired samples t-tests revealed that across all disorders, perceived knowledge and skill scores significantly increased from pre-training to post consultation for in-person training clinicians (all p’s < .001, Cohen's d ranged from .93 to 1.61), as well as virtual training clinicians (all p’s < .001, Cohen's d ranged from 0.75 to 1.73). Benchmarking analyses will be conducted to compare effect sizes for changes in perceived knowledge and skill levels between clinicians trained in-person and those trained virtually. Discussion: As the need for youth mental health services continues to grow, it is vital to evaluate alternative training methods to expand access to high-quality mental healthcare.

Developing solutions to address social risk factors (SRF) in low- and middle- income countries (LMIC) can be difficult as many SRFs are a result of lacking financial support. SRFs are adverse living conditions that may impact the physical or mental well-being of an individual or community. Addressing SRFs in LMICs can increase implementation of evidence-based practices aimed at improving mental health outcomes. In this study, we focused on who is involved in proposed solutions that address SRFs and what specific roles those individuals undertake. Understanding what persons and roles are involved in a solution can help organize and facilitate action. We conducted a secondary inductive thematic analysis on qualitative data from a parent NIMH-funded study which aimed to develop strategies to address SRFs alongside a culturally adapted form of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) for children who experienced parental death in Western Kenya. In the parent study, clinical supervisors conducted a workshop and training for TF-CBT lay-counselors to co-develop strategies to address SRFs. Most suggested strategies supported economic empowerment and a worksheet was designed to aid implementation of the strategies. This study uses data from worksheets filled out at 10 different schools in which lay-counselors designed economic empowerment strategies. The primary solutions included poultry rearing, vegetable gardening, and tree nurseries. Preliminary results show that most solutions tend to require school administration, teachers, children, for whom the solutions are for, and their guardians. Administrative roles tended to supply land required for solutions, teachers and guardians mostly supplied resources, while children were tasked with implementation of the solutions. Knowing who executes what roles can help inform what resources, skills, or knowledge a person can contribute to a solution, which may facilitate transferability between solutions. This can help researchers and communities individualize strategies to address SRFs where certain persons may be unavailable.