(Re)installing Cancer Immunity in pancreatic cancer and cancers of the upper GI tract
Antibodies that block immune checkpoints (ICB) have revolutionized cancer treatment and have become standards-of-care across a wide range of cancer types. This translational project will investigate two clinically relevant topics: (1) Mechanisms occuringin ICB-nonresponsive “cold” tumors, including loss of MHC class I, and (2) overcoming the resistance of such tumors by a combination immunotherapy approach involving antibodies against tumor cell surface antigens and RNA-encoded interleukin-2. The project will integrate studies of murine models and human samples in order to create a fundamentfor prospective clinical trials.
Prof. Dr. Özlem Türeci & Prof. Dr. Matthias Gaida
(Photos: BioNTech/Universitätsmedizin Mainz)