Our RESEARCH
Understanding of Tumor-Immune Dynamics for Better Cancer Immunotherapy
We are trying to understand tumor-immune dynamics to overcome immune resistance of tumors. Recent research clearly demonstrate that the immune system plays a fundamental role in combating tumors. However, fundamental questions how tumors acquire intrinsic and acquired resistance to immune-cell killing by immunotherapeutic agents including various checkpoint inhibitors still remain. Therefore, we aim to elucidate the multidimensional, nonlinear nature of the interaction between immune and tumor to realize the ideal goal of cancer immunotherapy.
01
Mechanism of immune resistance
Current treatment strategies for cancer, especially advanced cancer, are limited and unsatisfactory. One of the most substantial advances in cancer therapy, in the last decades, was the discovery of a new layer of immunotherapy approach, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), which can specifically activate immune cells by targeting immune checkpoints.
Unfortunately, not all cancer patients benefit remarkably from ICIs, and the overall response rates to ICIs remain relatively low for most cancer types. Moreover, the primary and acquired resistance to ICIs pose serious challenges to the clinical application of cancer immunotherapy.
Thus, a deeper understanding of the molecular biological properties and regulatory mechanisms of immune checkpoints is urgently needed to improve clinical options for current therapies.
02
Tumor-Immune dynamics
The theory of immunoediting delineates how the immune system sculpts developing tumours in a three-step process: elimination, equilibrium and escape.
We elucidate the impact of evolutionary and immune-related forces on editing the tumor.
03
Screening of Reversing agents
Identifying immuneresistant factors, which can be targeted by clinically available drugs and it also can be a companion diagnostic marker, is needed to reinforce immunotherapies. We using the transcriptome data of patients and immune-refractory tumor models, identifying immune-resistance factors that correlates with clinical outcome of ICB therapy and confers immune-refractory phenotypes.