Immunotherapy is emerging as one of the largest breakthroughs in cancer therapy in the last 30 years, due to the recent approval of the antibody therapeutics Ipilimumab (anti-CTLA4) and Pembrolizumab (anti-PD-1). This has greatly increased interest in other immune activating modalities, either for monotherapy, or in combination with antibody therapy. Here we propose to decipher molecular mechanisms that underpin the biological function of a new class of immune activating drugs (IL-2 superkines).
TARGETING THE HUMAN CROSS-PRIMING DENDRITIC CELLS FOR IMMUNOTHERAPY
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$589,544.00
Summary
Specialized white blood cells called dendritic cells (DCs) are essential to inducing the immune system to eradicate cancers and viral infections in mice. We have defined human DC subsets and related their functional capacities to the mouse DC subsets. We will now identify the human DC subsets involved in the induction of cancer and viral immune responses and use this information to develop clinical therapeutic cancer vaccination trials.