Immunotherapies have led to major improvements in the survival of lung cancer patients. Yet today, only one in four lung cancer patients survive beyond 5 years, making lung cancer the biggest cause of cancer deaths globally. Cancer cells develop mechanisms to evade immune attacks including downregulating antigen presentation. Concurrently, cancer cells hijack immune cells to orchestrate a tumour-supportive microenvironment, facilitating tumour progression and resistance to therapy.
This project will investigate the detailed mechanisms by which genetic and epigenetic alterations in cancer cells shape tumour cell immunogenicity and the tumour microenvironment. This knowledge will lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets to increase anti-tumour immunity. Experimental approaches will combine single-cell profiling and 3D imaging with genetic studies in preclinical models of lung cancer and in clinical samples.
