The Immuno-Oncology (I-O) Core works directly with clinical investigators to design, execute, and analyze correlative studies to gain mechanistic insights into immuno-oncology clinical trials. The core provides unique services as well as works with other cores on resources that are already available at City of Hope.


Peter P. Lee, M.D., is the chair of the Department of Immuno-Oncology at Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope and a beneficiary of The Christopher Family Endowed Innovation Fund for Alzheimer’s Disease and Breast Cancer Research in Honor of Vineta Christopher. He is co-leader of the Cancer Immunotherapeutics Program, professor in the Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, and the Billy and Audrey L. Wilder Professor in Cancer Immunotherapeutics.
Ting-Fang He, Ph.D.
Manager
the@coh.org
Shawn Solomon
Administrative Program Coordinator
ssolomon@coh.org
I-O Core-specific services include:
- High-dimensional (six-color) histology using a spectral imaging system (Akoya Vectra 3.0) and quantitative spatial image analysis using machine-learning software (InForm and Spotfire).
- Additional tissue analysis capabilities like in-situ hybridization for DNA/RNA/microRNA, laser-capture microdissection (via Electron Microscopy Core), and advanced spatial analysis via collaborations with mathematicians and computer scientists at City of Hope and Caltech. These unique capabilities enable comprehensive analysis of tumor and lymph node samples from clinical trial patients.
- High-dimensional flow cytometry for in-depth analysis of blood samples, including immune subsets, functional responses, and signaling pathways via Phosflow. These assays utilize the Becton Dickinson FACSymphony instrument in the Analytical Cytometry Core, allowing 28-color FACS analysis and future sorting.
- Collaboration with the Analytical Pharmacology Core to offer multiplex cytokines assays.
- Collaboration with the Integrative Genomics And Bioinformatics Core to offer TCR repertoire analysis and single-cell genomics.
- Expertise on study design, protocol development, proposal approval, experimental execution, sample management, research data generation, analysis and publication, and database and informatics for cancer immunotherapy clinical trials.
The Vectra 3 automated quantitative pathology imaging system provides multispectral and automated multi-slide imaging of up to six slides to detect and measure weakly expressed and overlapping biomarkers in H&E, IHC or IF intact FFPE tissue sections or TM
In a given year, City of Hope conducts more than 400 clinical trials enrolling more than 6,000 patients.

City of Hope is focused on basic and clinical research in cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases.
