Leveraging stem-like memory T cells for effective anti-cancer mRNA vaccines

Background

Drugs that target the immune system have revolutionised the treatment of solid cancers such as bowel, breast, lung and brain cancers and melanoma. These therapies work by restoring a patient’s own immune system and enhancing its ability to attack cancer. However, this approach is usually only effective in the short term and for more than half of patients this treatment isn’t effective at all. 

The Research

Associate. Professor Joanna Groom and team have identified a novel approach that induces a specific type of immune cell, which is responsible for tumour clearance following immune therapy.  

 Assoc. Prof. Groom and team will identify the immunotherapy settings where these immune cells can be harnessed to provide potent and long-lasting anti-cancer activity. They will then explore how this approach can be used in a vaccine strategy either alone or in combination with immune therapy against a range of solid tumours. 

The multi-cancer approach allows Assoc. Prof. Groom and team to understand where and how this vaccine strategy can be used therapeutically. The ultimate goal is to develop an anti-cancer vaccine for use where existing immune therapies fail and to protect patients from metastasis and recurrent tumours.