WEHI Wednesday Seminar hosted by Professor Stephen Nutt
Dr Shengbo Zhang
Research Officer – Nutt Laboratory, Immunology division – Infection, Inflammation & Immunity Theme, WEHI
Deciphering the Dendritic Cells: Development, Functions, and Translational Potential
Davis Auditorium
Including Q&A session
Dendritic cells (DCs) are essential component of the innate immune system that are critical for the initiation of an immune response. Endowed with the unique capacity to present antigens to T cells, as well as to orchestrate their expansion, DCs have long been considered as the ideal candidates for therapeutic vaccination against deadly diseases such as cancer, but their clinical application has proven challenging, in part due to the lack of an in depth understanding of the diversity underpinning the DC network. The ontogeny and function of DCs are tightly controlled by several transcription factors that promote or suppress the cell type specific gene expression in both steady state and in inflammatory conditions. Understanding DC lineage specification, diversity and function are critical milestones in order to maximise their use in clinical settings. This knowledge will provide a framework to engineer fit for purpose DCs to unleash their full potential in orchestrating a strong anti-tumoral response.
In this seminar, I will decipher the role of a critical component of the gene regulatory program shaping the diversity and functional attributes of DCs. In addition, I will introduce an innovative platform aiming to capitalize on the extraordinary attributes of DCs to enhance the effectiveness of the current immunotherapy approaches for the treatment of cancer.
All welcome!
