Anushka Dongre, PhD - Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Microbiology and Immunology Cornell University
Although immune checkpoint blockade therapy has generated dramatic responses in certain cancers, the response of breast tumors has been largely limited. By establishing novel, preclinical murine models of more-epithelial or more-mesenchymal breast tumors, we demonstrate that the cellular plasticity of breast cancer cells can itself be an important determinant of responsiveness to such therapy. Moreover, interrupting certain signalling channels specifically associated with mesenchymal cancer cells, can potentiate the effects of checkpoint inhibition leading to the elimination of more-mesenchymal breast tumors. Thus, our work highlights the prospect of using the polarization of carcinoma cells on the epithelial-mesenchymal spectrum as a surrogate marker for predicting responses to immune checkpoint blockade therapy.
Jun 03, 2024 @ 12:00 p.m.
Medical Center | Upper Auditorium (3-7619)
Host: Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology Seminar Series and Scott Gerber, PhD