Research Projects

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are a population of T cells that are critical to restrain self-reactive immune cells and protect from autoimmunity. While beneficial in preserving immune and tissue homeostasis, these cells are harmful in the context of cancer as they prevent anti-tumor immunity. Immune cells such as CD8+ T cells and NK cells recognize and eliminate cancer cells. Tregs, however, dampen the function of these anti-tumour immune cells and promote tumour progression. Therefore, targeting or blocking Tregs is a promising therapeutic strategy to boost anti-tumour immune responses. However, given the role of Tregs in autoimmunity prevention, targeting Tregs systemically can lead to catastrophic autoimmunity. To circumvent this, we propose a novel strategy to target Tregs specifically in the tumour site. In this project, we will utilize our expertise to discover mechanisms employed by Tregs to survive and function specifically within the tumour environment. These mechanisms will be harnessed for tumour-specific targeting of Tregs to improve anti-tumour immunity.

This project will employ a series of sophisticated preclinical models as well as molecular methods such as single cell RNA sequencing and ATAC sequencing to assess both the transcriptional and the epigenetic state of tumor Tregs and to discover tumour specific adaptation mechanisms of Tregs. We will test the function of newly discovered genes by using gene reporter and gene knockout mouse models in the context of solid tumour models. While the project will largely utilize pre-clinal mouse models, we also have access to human tumour samples and collaborate with clinicians to ensure clinical translation.

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information and application enquiries