Understanding the Prognostic Impact of NK Cell Heterogeneity in Melanoma
Abstract
This project addresses the Fiscal Year 2019 Melanoma Research Program Focus Area of “Precursor Lesions, Melanomagenesis, Host Factors, and the Tumor Microenvironment” and “Therapeutic Prevention.” It will provide a way to accurately assess the presence of rare but very important immune cells within melanoma tumors. Because these cells, called Innate Lymphoid Cells, or “ILCs,” can be modulated, the work performed in this project will potentially provide a way to prevent melanoma tumors from forming in the skin. The ILCs come in a variety of types. Depending on the type that is predominant in the melanoma tumors, the behavior of the tumor and the clinical outcome can vary. Using novel computational approaches and advanced methods to isolate the immune cells from melanoma tumors, we will create a gene signature that can be used to estimate the number of these cells to provide prognosis information to patients. In addition, we will use experiment systems to understand what the factors are that determine the type of the ILCs that end up in the tumors. By revealing what these factors are, we hope to be able to modulate these immune cells early in the process and prevent invasive malignant melanoma from forming. Ultimately, this information (1) will be very useful for tailoring therapy and for providing prognostic information for patients with melanoma, and (2) will provide a way to prevent melanoma from forming in high-risk individuals, namely those with fair skin and those who work in high sun-exposure environments.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 10, 2021
- Source ID
- W81XWH2010548
Entities
People
- John Sunwoo
Organizations
- Stanford University
- United States Army