Characterizing Neo-Antigen T Cell Responses in Mesothelioma Immunity
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy has been heralded as one of the major scientific and medical breakthroughs in recent years. Immunotherapy can alter the patient s immune system to target and kill cancer cells when it otherwise would not. The success of immunotherapy has been described in various other cancers, but there is limited information of the effects of immunotherapy on mesothelioma. There is a need for both intellectual and financial input into this area of mesothelioma research. My career goal is to be an independent researcher in the field of cancer immunology, where I will be able to conduct cutting-edge research on the immune system s role in cancer, and from there design better immune-based therapies for cancer treatment. I recently finished my PhD in immunology, and this is one of my initial attempts at applying for research funding. This 1-year award will be crucial to jump-start my career in mesothelioma research, as it will provide financial assistance to funding the personnel and equipment involved in the project. Professor Bruce Robinson in the University of Western Australia (UWA) will mentor me. Western Australia (WA) has one of the highest incidences of mesothelioma in the world, and Prof Robinson has founded the National Centre of Asbestos Related Diseases (NCARD) to serve the WA community. NCARD is a world leading team dedicated to mesothelioma research, and they will play an important role in my research development. I will have the opportunity to work closely with clinical oncologists and scientists that specialize in mesothelioma research. Furthermore, I will also be supported by world-class research facilities at UWA. The success of cancer immunotherapy has taught us that an individual s immune system is capable of fighting cancer. However, only a select group of patients can respond to current immunotherapy. To improve the response rate to immunotherapy, there is a need to understand how immunotherapy works. The immune system works by directing specific responses against selected targets. For example, it will target flu-infected cells but not normal cells. We need to uncover what are the immune targets in mesothelioma. As cancer cells are full of mutations, we propose that the immune system targets mutated proteins made by mesothelioma cells, and we will investigate if current immunotherapy works by improving immune responses against mutated proteins. This project will be the proof of concept if boosting immune responses to mutations in mesothelioma (by vaccination) can work in tandem with current immunotherapies to improve response rates. Mesothelioma is caused by asbestos, a carcinogen that induces multiple mutations within the cell. These mutations will be unique and exclusive to each individual patient s tumor, and it is likely that each individual s immune system will target different mutated proteins. Identification of all the possible mutations in mesothelioma is now a reality, which means designing tailored and specific immunotherapy that can benefit an individual mesothelioma patient is possible. Patient-specific immunotherapy is currently being tested in other cancers, and we foresee that this will also be possible in mesothelioma patients. In particular, our research will benefit Veterans and their family members that have contracted mesothelioma because of previous exposure to asbestos. Furthermore, countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan are still using asbestos in construction, exposing currently deployed troops to this carcinogen. Treatment for malignant mesothelioma is poor, with chemotherapy giving a median survival of 12 months. Apart from reducing their exposure to asbestos, medical research into improving mesothelioma treatment is the most useful way to benefit Service members and their family members who have mesothelioma.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 31, 2017
- Source ID
- W81XWH1610240
Entities
People
- Hui En Jonathan Chee
Organizations
- United States Army
- University of Western Australia