Cancer Immunology and Transplantation
The biology of T lymphocytes
T lymphocytes can have many functions. The signals that dictate the different stages of T lymphocyte differentiation are still poorly understood, and the ability to manipulate these signals for therapeutic purposes is a priority for our laboratory. We focus on the roles of the cytokine TGF-β in memory T cell differentiation as well as the signals leading to T lymphocyte dysfunction in patients, in tumours and in cultures to expand T cells. We also study the factors that determine how other hematopoietic cells modulate T-cell responses.
Adoptive immunotherapy in humans
Our laboratory is interested in the in-vitro expansion and differentiation of human T lymphocytes so that these cells can be used in clinical research protocols. In this area, we have adapted and developed cell culture systems to both increase the therapeutic potential of in-vitro educated T lymphocytes and study the fundamental biology of human T lymphocytes. Two adoptive immunotherapy protocols have been directly derived from the work in our lab and are currently being studied in patients.