Elliott Assistant Professor of Biology Dr. Kristian M. Hargadon ’01 was recently awarded a 2-year grant for $125,000 from the Commonwealth Health Research Board to support his research program focusing on immune suppression by melanoma.  The aims of this grant are to investigate the nature and mechanism of melanoma-altered dendritic cell function and to explore how melanoma-altered dendritic cells influence the quality of T cell activation.  This work builds on previous research conducted by Dr. Hargadon and collaborating students at Hampden-Sydney College that had been funded by a Jeffress Memorial Fellowship from the Virginia Academy of Science.  Studies conducted with this earlier funding demonstrated that melanoma-derived factors are capable of altering the functionality of dendritic cells, an immune cell type that plays a critical role in the induction, maintenance, and regulation of T cell responses.  Because T cells have the capacity to eradicate tumors, it is important to understand factors that may impact their activation.  Funds from this CHRB grant will enable Dr. Hargadon to investigate both how melanoma tumor cells suppress dendritic cell function and how these altered dendritic cells impact the quality of T cell responses.  These studies will contribute significantly to our understanding of tumor immune evasion, and they have the potential to identify novel targets for immune therapies designed to prevent melanoma-associated immune suppression and promote robust anti-tumor immune responses.  Importantly, this funding will also enable Dr. Hargadon to involve several additional Hampden-Sydney College students in his research program.

The Commonwealth Health Research Board was founded in 1997 with a mission “to promote and protect the health of the citizens of the Commonwealth through human health research.” Since its establishment, the CHRB has funded over $12 million in research grants to institutions of higher education and other organizations that include the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, Eastern Virginia Medical School, George Mason University, the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Richmond, and William & Mary College, among others.  Dr. Hargadon’s grant is the first ever awarded to Hampden-Sydney College.