DATE: April 26, 2018
TIME: 08:00am PDT, 11:00am EDT, 5:00pm CEST

Engineered T cells expressing a tumor antigen-specific receptor have revolutionized the field of cancer therapy for blood cancers. However, similar success has not generally been obtainable in solid tumors, in which the tumor microenvironment (TME) exhibits immunosuppressive effects against injected therapeutic T cells. Our studies have utilized mouse models demonstrated to recapitulate the immunosuppressive features of human cancers to test novel immunotherapy strategies, either alone or in combination. Strategies that incapacitate specific immune-inhibitory pathways operative in the TME can enhance T cell function and improve anti-tumor efficacy. Our results suggest such efforts will soon lead to translation of effective immunotherapies for human solid tumors.

In this webinar, the speaker will:

• Explain how analysis, including by transcriptome profiling, of appropriate immunocompetent models and human tissues can be used to predict obstacles to therapeutic human T cell function

• Describe strategies for overcoming immunosuppressive TME features

• Provide examples in ovarian and pancreatic cancer models of novel T cell engineering that improves the efficacy of adoptive T cell therapy

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.