NCI awards five-year, $13.3M grant for collaborative study on sequential combinations of targeted inhibitors, immunotherapies

OU receives $2.9M NCI grant to study opaganib to enhance CAR T-cell therapy in multiple myeloma

A University of Oklahoma physician-researcher recently received $2.9 million in funding from NCI to study whether RedHill Biopharma’s drug opaganib, given after CAR T-cell therapy, can help the immune cells fight cancer more effectively.

October 23, 2026

Vol.52 No.39

Cancer Policy

Letai announces: NCI met FY26 goal of full funding payout

In a post on NCI’s LinkedIn, NCI Director Anthony Letai confirmed that the institute has fully awarded and paid out all of its grant funding for the Fiscal Year 2026.

October 16, 2026

Vol.52 No.38

By Claire Marie Porter

Clinical Roundup

UCLA scientists identify clues to making immunotherapy more effective against glioblastoma

Two studies led by researchers at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center provide insight into how the immune system can successfully be activated against glioblastoma while revealing why these therapies have historically fallen short.

October 16, 2026

Vol.52 No.38

Clinical Roundup

Wistar Institute study identifies immunotherapy strategy for glioblastoma

Scientists at the Wistar Institute have identified a combination treatment that overcomes two of the biggest barriers to immunotherapy in glioblastoma. The researchers showed that reprogramming myeloid cells, a type of immune cell that glioblastoma tumors co-opt to protect themselves, while simultaneously boosting cancer-fighting T cells shrank the tumors and prevented them from coming back.

October 16, 2026

Vol.52 No.38

Podcast

As FDA sidesteps the question of Galleri’s clinical benefit, NCI’s Letai has “some concerns”

As the oncology community waits with bated breath for a possible FDA approval of GRAIL’s Galleri test, NCI Director Anthony Letai has a lot to say about multi-cancer detection tests—particularly Galleri.

October 14, 2026

Podcast

Anthony Letai reflects on Year One as NCI Director: “The NCI is in business”

“I don’t know of a single grant that left my desk that was not approved and funded,” NCI Director Anthony G. Letai said on this episode of The Cancer Letter Podcast. https://open.spotify.com/episode/2PFYGwliBDYEbxBXFd9MtB?si=95DNBAy0QGSKBX31_uETEA This episode is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Youtube. Letai recapped his first year as NCI director in conversation with Paul Goldberg,...

October 07, 2026

NCI awards five-year, $13.3M grant for collaborative study on sequential combinations of targeted inhibitors, immunotherapies

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OU receives $2.9M NCI grant to study opaganib to enhance CAR T-cell therapy in multiple myeloma

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As FDA sidesteps the question of Galleri’s clinical benefit, NCI’s Letai has “some concerns”

Anthony Letai reflects on Year One as NCI Director: “The NCI is in business”

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