In a groundbreaking alliance poised to redefine the landscape of cancer treatment, OCCAM Immune—a pioneering initiative under the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai devoted to decoding the immune system’s intricate role in disease progression—is partnering with the esteemed Cancer Research Institute (CRI). This collaboration seeks to delve deeply into the immune system’s response mechanisms to advanced immunotherapies, ushering in a new era of precision oncology through enhanced immune monitoring and data analytics.
At the core of this partnership lies a comprehensive long-term strategy to integrate continuous immune profiling within CRI’s diverse portfolio of clinical trials. This initiative is designed to systematically track the dynamic interactions between novel immunotherapeutic agents and patient immune systems, aiming to reveal the molecular and cellular underpinnings that govern therapeutic efficacy. By dissecting these complex immune responses, researchers aspire to identify biomarkers predictive of treatment success, offering a tailored approach that maximizes patient benefit while minimizing ineffective interventions.
This collaboration was catalyzed by Dr. Thomas Marron, MD, PhD, Director of the Early Phase Trial Unit at Mount Sinai’s Tisch Cancer Institute and Chief Medical Officer of OCCAM Immune. Recognizing the complementary strengths and shared vision of Mount Sinai and CRI, Dr. Marron orchestrated this alliance to accelerate progress in immunotherapy research. His leadership emphasizes the importance of integrating clinical insights with cutting-edge immunological assays to unlock mechanistic knowledge that can inform next-generation therapeutic design.
“CRI’s decades-long expertise in cancer immunotherapy and global reach of clinical trial samples is invaluable,” Dr. Marron states. “OCCAM Immune brings to the table high-dimensional profiling technologies and the analytical acumen to convert extensive immunological data into actionable intelligence. Together, our combined efforts will unravel the nuances of immune engagement, enabling personalized immunotherapy regimens that are both precise and effective.”
Immunotherapy, a revolutionary modality that harnesses the body’s immune defenses to combat malignancy, has dramatically transformed cancer care. Nonetheless, its heterogeneous efficacy—where many patients exhibit resistance or relapse—underscores a critical need to elucidate the biological determinants of response. OCCAM Immune addresses this challenge by generating detailed immune maps before and during treatment, employing technologies such as RNA and DNA sequencing, single-cell immune phenotyping, and spatial transcriptomics to reveal the immune system’s configuration and dynamics with unprecedented resolution.
OCCAM Immune operates synergistically within Mount Sinai’s extensive medical and research framework. This includes collaborations with leaders like Dr. Miriam Merad, Dean for Translational Research and Therapeutic Innovation and Director of the Marc and Jennifer Lipschultz Precision Immunology Institute (PrIISM). Under her guidance, the division propels forward the frontiers of immunological research, integrating multi-omic data with clinical phenotypes to construct predictive models of immune behavior in cancer contexts. Through PrIISM, the initiative offers unparalleled access to rare human clinical samples and sophisticated analytical platforms that accelerate biomarker discovery and therapeutic innovation.
On the CRI side, Alicia Zhou, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, highlights how the fusion of OCCAM Immune’s advanced immune profiling capabilities with CRI’s extensive immunotherapy clinical network creates a potent synergy. "By leveraging our combined resources and expertise, we are not only hastening the pace of discovery but also edging closer to a future where personalized immunotherapy can be delivered with greater precision and confidence, improving patient outcomes worldwide," Zhou remarks.
The collaboration’s inaugural project targets a clinical trial focused on ovarian cancer, specifically platinum-resistant high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma—a notoriously aggressive subtype with high relapse rates. By meticulously scrutinizing immune cells and tumor biopsies from enrolled patients, the research team aims to delineate the immune landscapes shaped by novel drug combinations. The analysis will incorporate advanced techniques like deep RNA/DNA sequencing and multi-dimensional immune cell mapping, spanning approximately 160 patient-derived samples, to decode the molecular signatures linked to therapeutic resistance and sensitivity.
Dr. Merad underscores the broader implications of this scientific endeavor: “This partnership exemplifies the growing recognition of our capacity to deliver high-fidelity immune data critical to advancing personalized medicine and AI-driven drug development. By converging expertise across academic, biotech, and pharmaceutical sectors, we are poised to unlock the full potential of the immune system, transforming cancer care and improving patient survival rates.”
OCCAM Immune stands at the intersection of academic research and clinical application, specializing in the identification of immune biomarkers that predict and monitor response trajectories to immunotherapies. By leveraging state-of-the-art profiling platforms and computational tools, the organization supports academia, industry, and nonprofit partners in optimizing immunotherapy protocols and enhancing the design and outcomes of clinical trials addressing cancer, autoimmune disorders, allergies, and infectious diseases.
Founded in 1953, the Cancer Research Institute remains steadfast in its mission to propel immunotherapy from experimental intervention to standard-of-care treatment across all cancer types. By funding global researchers and facilitating patient access to innovative clinical trials through its Cancer Immunotherapy Clinical Trial Finder, CRI plays a pivotal role in translating scientific insights into tangible clinical benefits, fostering a future where cancer becomes a manageable or curable disease.
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, home to OCCAM Immune and the Tisch Cancer Institute, is a beacon of biomedical innovation. It hosts a vibrant academic and clinical community committed to pushing the boundaries of translational research. Through Mount Sinai Innovation Partners (MSIP), the institution actively accelerates the commercialization of groundbreaking medical discoveries, ensuring that laboratory breakthroughs rapidly evolve into clinical advancements that save lives.
This collaboration heralds a critical inflection point in the fight against cancer—one where comprehensive immune monitoring, integrative data analysis, and collaborative research converge to create the toolkit necessary for precision immunotherapy. As cancer treatment continues to evolve, such alliances underscore the imperative of bridging disciplines and institutions, ultimately translating scientific discovery into improved patient care on a global scale.
Subject of Research: Immune system monitoring and response to advanced cancer immunotherapies, specifically in platinum-resistant high-grade serous ovarian cancer.
Article Title: Mount Sinai’s OCCAM Immune and Cancer Research Institute Unite to Revolutionize Cancer Immunotherapy Through Advanced Immune Monitoring
News Publication Date: June 17, 2025
Web References:
- Thomas Marron Profile
- The Tisch Cancer Institute
- Miriam Merad lab
- Marc and Jennifer Lipschultz Precision Immunology Institute (PrIISM)
- National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Centers
Keywords: Cancer immunology, immunotherapy, immune monitoring, precision oncology, ovarian cancer, platinum-resistant cancer, immune cell mapping, RNA sequencing, DNA sequencing, biomarker discovery, personalized medicine, immuno-oncology.
