Immunology center announces 2026 multidisciplinary seed grant recipients

Five innovative immunology research projects have been selected for funding through the Cornell Center for Immunology's 2026 Multidisciplinary Seed Grants.

Complex health challenges require expertise from multiple scientific fields - including biology, chemistry, engineering, and computational sciences. Breakthrough discoveries in immunology increasingly emerge when researchers combine their diverse expertise to tackle multifaceted problems.

The center supports these early-stage collaborations across research disciplines to foster discoveries that can advance public health and transform medical treatments.

"These awards reflect our dedication to fostering collaborative teams as they address intricate immunological challenges and pioneer innovative technologies that will accelerate scientific discovery," said Deborah Fowell, director of the Center for Immunology and chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine.

This year's funding totals $200,000, supporting five projects that demonstrate the power of interdisciplinary research in advancing our understanding of immunity and disease.

2026 Grant Recipients:

APC-targeted GM3-LNP mRNA vaccination for EGFR-mutant lung cancer

Shaoyi Jiang, Robert S. Langer '70 Family and Institute Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell Engineering; Vivek Mittal, Gerald J.Ford-O.Wayne Isom Professor of Research in Cardiothoracic surgery, Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Cornell Medicine; and Yongfeng He, Assistant Professor of Cancer Biology Research in Cardiothoracic Surgery, Weill Cornell Medicine

This team is engineering a glycan-modified lipid nanoparticle (GM3-LNP) platform to enhance delivery of mRNA vaccines to antigen-presenting cells in secondary lymphoid organs, addressing inefficient immune priming with current mRNA vaccines. Using mRNA encoding the oncogenic EGFR-L858R mutation, they will evaluate APC targeting and activation, measure EGFR-specific CD8⁺ T cell responses and assess tumor control in genetically engineered mouse models. The goal is to determine whether APC-directed antigen delivery enhances T cell priming and strengthens anti-tumor immunity. These studies will determine whether APC-directed antigen delivery enhances T cell priming and improves tumor control.

Circulating Stem-Like CD4 T Cells in Tissue Immune Surveillance

Scott Leddon, Senior Research Associate of Microbiology & Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine; and Andrew Grimson, Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics, College of Arts and Sciences.

This project examines stem-like CD4 T cells, a regenerative population that sustains immune responses in chronic infection, cancer and autoimmunity. Using optogenetic time-stamping and single-cell RNA/ATAC multiome profiling, the team will track T cells exiting inflamed tissue and define their transcriptional and chromatin landscapes, as well as their temporal dynamics and relationships to other T cell subsets. The goal is to identify developmental trajectories and phenotypic markers that enable prospective isolation of these cells, laying the groundwork for their use in T cell-based immunotherapies.

Control of antigen presentation by an unusual pathogen-derived protein modification

Jeremy Baskin, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, College of Arts and Sciences and the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology; and Pamela Chang, Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine

This project investigates how pathogens interfere with the immune system's ability to alert T cells by disrupting antigen presentation in infected cells. Using newly developed chemical proteomic tools, the team will identify and characterize a previously unrecognized pathogen-driven protein modification on host factors involved in these pathways and determine how it alters their function. By defining this mechanism of immune evasion, the work aims to uncover new strategies for strengthening immune responses to infection.

Controlling the Conformational Ensemble of HCV E2 to Elicit Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies

Andrew Flyak, Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine; and Brian Crane, George W. and Grace L. Todd Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, College of Arts and Sciences

Researchers aim to improve hepatitis C vaccine design by stabilizing the CD81 binding site on the viral E2 glycoprotein, a key target for broadly neutralizing antibodies. Combining molecular dynamics simulations with DEER spectroscopy, they will map how different conformational states influence recognition by germline precursors of broadly neutralizing antibodies. The goal is to define which conformations promote effective antibody engagement and to test engineered immunogens that enhance these responses in a humanized mouse model.

Microbial education of neonatal thymopoiesis

Ilana Brito, Associate Professor, Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering; and Brian Rudd, MPH, Professor of Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine

Researchers are investigating how the maternal microbiome shapes neonatal thymopoiesis, the process by which T cells develop early in life. Using a mouse model, they found that antibiotic-driven disruption of maternal microbes alters thymic selection and leads to long-term changes in the peripheral T cell compartment. The goal of the project is to identify the mechanisms by which thymic selection is altered and determine which microbial species, proteins and metabolites are responsible, helping explain how early-life exposures program lifelong disease risk.

Spanning four Cornell colleges, Duffield Engineering, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, and Weill Cornell Medicine, these projects exemplify how interdisciplinary partnerships drive innovation in immunological research, Fowell said.

For more information on the program and future funding opportunities, visit the Cornell Center for Immunology website.

Stephen D'Angelo is the communications manager for biological systems at Cornell Research and Innovation.