Head and neck cancer: who works on it

One card per institution. Pick a target or a country to narrow the list.

• All targets
• PD-1 70
• PD-L1 42
• TP53 7
• EGFR 33
• PI3K 6
• STAT3 1
• BRAF 0
• AKT 2
• mTOR 0
• HER2 6
• RET 0
• MAPK 0
• ERK 0
• STING 0
• PTEN 1
• TERT 0
• CTNNB1 0
• JAK 1
• CTLA-4 4
• NRF2 0
• MYC 0
• VEGF 4
• YAP 1
• HIF-1 0
• MET 3
• AMPK 0
• CLDN18 0
• IL-6 2
• JNK 0
• PARP 1
• FGFR 1
• GPX4 0
• B7-H3 5
• CD47 1
• COX-2 0
• LAG-3 2
• TROP2 5
• EZH2 0
• MEK 0
• METTL3 0
• PIK3CA 4
• CDK4/6 2
• NLRP3 0
• ATM 0
• PKM2 0
• TNF 0
• FAK 0
• MMP-9 0
• PPAR 0
• PSMA 1
• TLR4 0
• BCL-2 0
• HSP90 0
• KRAS 0
• NOTCH1 0
• NTRK 1
• ALK 0
• CD40 1
• CDKN2A 2
• CXCR4 0

24 of 75+ institutions, ordered by recent publications and open trials. This is not a ranking of quality.

Funded research projects that name this disease in their title, terms or summary and have not ended yet: who is funded, where, how much and until when. Organisations only; the funder's page has the details.

• NIH NIDCR · F31

  Investigating the impact of radiation therapy on oral squamous cell carcinoma microenvironment via non-classical class I major histocompatibility complex HLA-E

  University of California at Davis· Davis, United States· US$43,748 awarded in fiscal year 2026· until Aug 2029

• NIH NIDCR · F32

  Transposon derived neo-antigens in NSD1 mutant Head and Neck Cancers

  Columbia University Health Sciences· New York, United States· US$77,580 awarded in fiscal year 2026· until Sept 2028

• NIH NIAID · R56

  Functional dissection of a novel E2 complex critical for the HPV16 life cycle

  Virginia Commonwealth University· Richmond, United States· US$768,308 awarded in fiscal year 2026· until Aug 2027

• NIH NIDCR · R01

  Restoring responses to immunotherapy in metastatic lymph nodes in HNSCC

  University of California, San Francisco· San Francisco, United States· US$684,832 awarded in fiscal year 2026· until Jul 2031

• NIH NIDCR · R01

  Advancing FTIR-based Multimodal Imaging with AI for Risk Stratification of Oral Precancer

  University of Missouri Kansas City· Kansas City, United States· US$527,533 awarded in fiscal year 2026· until Jun 2030

• European Commission (Horizon Europe) · HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF

  Epigenetic Profiling and Telomere-Orchestrated Mechanisms in HPV+ Oropharyngeal Cancer (EPiTOME-M)

  Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland· Dublin 2, Ireland· EU contribution €268,569· until Nov 2028· 2 countries

• European Commission (Horizon Europe) · HORIZON-ERC

  Endoscopic tissue time machine (EPIC)

  King's College London· London, United Kingdom· EU contribution €2,273,033· until May 2031

• European Commission (Horizon Europe) · HORIZON-EIC-ACC

  From Whisper to Voice: Real-Time on-Device Assistive AI Technology for Human Connection (Whispp)

  Whispp Bv· Leiden, Netherlands· EU contribution €2,498,319· until May 2028

  The disease is named only in the funder's project summary, not in the title.

• European Commission (Horizon Europe) · HORIZON-RIA

  INHIBITING RESISTANCE TO IMMUNOTHERAPY IN HEAD&NECK CANCER BY TARGETING NETRIN-1 (NeckNET)

  Netris Pharma Sas· Lyon, France· EU contribution €7,248,398· until May 2030· 4 countries

• European Commission (Horizon Europe) · HORIZON-RIA

  Early clinical development of first-in-class EGL-001 targeting Tregs in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, supported by AI-based pathomics (NEOTREG)

  Egle Therapeutics· Suresnes, France· EU contribution €7,999,120· until Nov 2028· 4 countries

10 of 635 running projects, newest first. Listed amounts together: US$366.0m + €36.6m.

Sources: NIH RePORTER (U.S. National Institutes of Health, public domain) and CORDIS (European Commission, CC BY 4.0). Changes: filtered by disease, organisations matched to ROR.

Terminated, withdrawn and suspended trials with the reason the sponsor gave in the registry, quoted word for word.

• Terminated

  Study of CTX-471 as a Monotherapy or in Combination With Pembrolizumab in Patients Post PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitors in Metastatic or Locally Advanced Malignancies

  NCT03881488· Compass Therapeutics· Updated 9 Oct 2026

  “The combination therapy arm of the study with pembrolizumab did not yield an efficacy signal, so enrollment into the combination therapy arm was terminated. The monotherapy arm of the study was fully enrolled and completed.”Registry text, quoted unchanged. Source

• Terminated

  Phase 3 Study of PDS0101 and Pembrolizumab in HPV16+ Recurrent/Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

  NCT06790966· PDS Biotechnology Corp.· Updated 2 Sept 2026

  “The study is being discontinued solely based on financial constraints and is not related to the safety of study participants, the investigational product, PDS0101, nor the conduct of the study.”Registry text, quoted unchanged. Source

• Terminated

  Identifying the Predictive Factors of Response to PD-1 or PD-L1 Antagonists

  NCT03412058· UNICANCER· Updated 3 Aug 2026

  “The study was terminated prematurely due to insufficient patient recruitment”Registry text, quoted unchanged. Source

• Terminated

  A Clinical Trial of PF-08046037 Alone or With Sasanlimab in Patients With Advanced or Metastatic Malignancies

  NCT06974734· Pfizer· Updated 23 Apr 2026

  “The trial was terminated for strategic business reasons; the decision was not based on any safety and/or efficacy concerns”Registry text, quoted unchanged. Source

• Terminated

  NBTXR3, Radiation Therapy, and Pembrolizumab for the Treatment of Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer

  NCT04862455· M.D. Anderson Cancer Center· Updated 23 Jan 2026

  “\<75% participation”Registry text, quoted unchanged. Source

• Terminated

  A Study to Evaluate the Safety and Pharmacokinetics of OC-001 in Patients With Locally Advanced or Metastatic Cancers

  NCT04260802· Ocellaris Pharma, Inc.· Updated 12 Jan 2026

  “Business Decision”Registry text, quoted unchanged. Source

• Withdrawn

  Study of Front Line Pembrolizumab and Valemetostat in PD-L1 Positive, HPV-Negative Recurrent/Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) of the Head and Neck: The PANTHERAS

  NCT05879484· National Cancer Institute (NCI)· Updated 10 Jul 2025

  “Study was never opened for enrollment as the CRADA was never executed”Registry text, quoted unchanged. Source

• Terminated

  A Phase 1/2 Study of FS118 in Patients With Advanced Malignancies

  NCT03440437· invoX Pharma Limited· Updated 1 Jul 2025

  “Business Decision”Registry text, quoted unchanged. Source

• Withdrawn

  A Study of HB-202/HB-201 With Pembrolizumab in Patients With HPV16+ Recurrent/Metastatic Oropharyngeal Cancer

  NCT06513884· Hookipa Biotech GmbH· Updated 22 Jun 2025

  “Due to the decision by the company not to pursue the development of HB-202 and HB-201 in this indication.”Registry text, quoted unchanged. Source

• Terminated

  A Phase 1/2, Open-label, Multi-center Study of the Safety and Efficacy of Alomfilimab (KY1044) as Single Agent and in Combination With Anti-PD-L1 (Atezolizumab) in Adult Patients With Selected Advanced Malignancies

  NCT03829501· Kymab Limited· Updated 2 Apr 2025

  “Early discontinuation based on strategic sponsor decision not driven by any safety concerns.”Registry text, quoted unchanged. Source

Trials whose registry record says individual participant data (IPD) will be shared.

• Testing the Addition of Chemotherapy or Chemo-Immunotherapy to the Usual Surgery for Advanced Head and Neck Cancer

  NCT07195734· National Cancer Institute (NCI)· Source

• A Study to See if Giving Fianlimab and Cemiplimab Together is Better Than Cemiplimab Alone at Treating Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

  NCT06769698· Regeneron Pharmaceuticals· Source

• PD-L1 t-haNK, NAI IL-15sa and Cetuximab for Recurrent, Metastatic HNSCC

  NCT06239220· Dana-Farber Cancer Institute· Source

• MK-7684A With or Without Other Anticancer Therapies in Participants With Selected Solid Tumors (MK-7684A-005) (KEYVIBE-005)

  NCT05007106· Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC· Source

• Study of Retinfanlimab in Combination With INCAGN02385 and INCAGN02390 as First-Line Treatment in Participants With PD-L1-Positive (CPS ≥ 1) Recurrent/Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck

  NCT05287113· Incyte Biosciences International Sàrl· Source

• A Platform Study of Novel Immunotherapy Combinations as First-Line Treatment in Participants With PD-L1 Positive Recurrent/Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck- GALAXIES H&N-202

  NCT06062420· GlaxoSmithKline· Source

• Pembrolizumab + N-803 Alone or in Combination With PD-L1 t-haNK Cells for Resectable Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

  NCT06161545· National Cancer Institute (NCI)· Source

• HPV Vaccine PRGN-2009 Alone or in Combination With Anti-PDL1/TGF-Beta Trap (M7824) in Subjects With HPV Associated Cancers

  NCT04432597· National Cancer Institute (NCI)· Source

• Phase 2/3 Randomized Study of INBRX-106 Add-on to Pembrolizumab in First-Line PD-L1 CPS ≥20 R/M HNSCC (HexAgon-HN)

  2024-515538-34-00· Inhibrx Biosciences Inc.· Source

• Study of Pembrolizumab Given Prior to Surgery and in Combination With Radiotherapy Given Post-surgery for Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (MK-3475-689)

  NCT03765918· Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC· Source

Find publications on this disease by a MeSH method term, for example a sequencing or imaging method.

• Single-Cell Analysis 84
• Organoids 23
• Mendelian Randomization Analysis 49
• CRISPR-Cas Systems 13
• Gene Expression Profiling 244
• Sequence Analysis, RNA 26
• Whole Genome Sequencing 7
• Exome Sequencing 22
• Proteomics 65
• Metabolomics 43
• Mass Spectrometry 14
• Flow Cytometry 56
• Immunohistochemistry 333
• Liquid Biopsy 34
• Circulating Tumor DNA 57
• Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays 308
• Positron-Emission Tomography 83
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging 276
• Machine Learning 232
• Deep Learning 187
• Cohort Studies 296
• Genome-Wide Association Study 55

See which targets of this disease your abstract mentions, and go to the people working on them.