Harnessing the power of the immune system to fight cancer. Cancer immune surveillance and chemo/immuno-therapy to define key cells & molecules that constitute an effective response to tumours.
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Above: Cell line stained with anti-CD46 (a protein important in cell signalling), demonstrating homotypic interactions between T cells. Source: Sarah Ellis, Microscopy.
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The Cancer Immunology Program continues to perform internationally recognized work on cancer immune surveillance and chemo/immuno-therapy, defining key cells and molecules that constitute an effective response to tumour. Immunotherapy is of increasing interest as an approach to arrest cancer at a much earlier stage and strategies range from vaccines that mobilize the immune system de novo (active immunotherapy), to administering preformed biologicals such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), cytokines, or exogenously activated immune cells (adoptive immunotherapy). The Program is made up of 5 major groups and more recently has focused its attention on haematological cancers, greatly strengthening links with Prof. Miles Prince of the Division of Haematology and Medical Oncology. Current and future efforts are directed at understanding the fine balance between the developing tumour microenvironment and the immune system, the key molecules that link innate and adaptive immunity and promote lasting memory to tumour antigens, and the molecular pathways that underpin the signalling of anti-tumour interferons. Complementing these approaches is the development of genetically enhanced T cells for adoptive immunotherapy, whose potency and specificity are rapidly moving this strategy into phase I clinical trials.
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