Galaxy

This image shows colour-coded tumour cells growing in a mouse lung.

Researcher Marina deleted selected genes in lung cancer cells and then investigated how these gene deletions influenced immune cell recruitment and activity in the tumour ecosystem. Marina tagged each gene deletion with a colour, allowing her to study up to 50 different genes simultaneously.

Immunotherapy is a common treatment for lung cancer, however only few patients see long-term benefits. It only works if immune cells can reach, recognise and attack tumour cells, which can reshape their environment to exclude the immune cells capable of killing them.

This research aims to uncover how tumour cells block immune infiltration, with the goal of making tumours more susceptible to immune attack.

Artist

• Marina Leiwe