About event
This is part of the Principal Investigator Seminar Series.
ABSTRACT:
Immunotherapy is a therapeutic approach that makes use of components of our own immune system and turns these into powerful weapons attacking cancer cells. The most typical immunotherapeutic approaches applied are: monoclonal antibodies targeting tumor-specific antigens, inhibitors of cellular checkpoint proteins or cytotoxic cells able to attack the tumor.
Most recently, genetic engineering of T lymphocytes with an artificial receptor (so-called CAR-T cells) triggered high expectations of permanently curing some cancers. We focus our research on two distinct modalities being used for the therapy of B cell malignancies – monoclonal antibodies against CD20 antigen and CAR-T cells targeting CD19 protein. I will present our recent data on the mechanisms regulating the expression of these two target antigens and on the mechanisms responsible for their downregulation leading to the failure of the therapy.
