Targeting T Cells Within the Cancer Immunity Cycle
The cancer immunity cycle involves several sequential steps leading to an effective T cell-mediated tumor eradication. However, many steps in the cycle can be disrupted, resulting in a tumor evading the host’s immune surveillance and response. The success of immune checkpoint inhibitors like anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 in activating cancer-killing T cells that were suppressed by cancer has paved the way for novel targets and therapeutics in immuno-oncology.
In the second webinar in this series, Dr. Marrit Putker, Dr. Pirouz Daftarian and Dr. Saskia De Man focus on the impact of T cell-directed immunotherapy on the cancer-immunity cycle. Mechanisms and targets capable of modulating and enhancing T cell activity will be presented, including the application of relevant methods such as organoid models and co-cultures, and the integration of High Content Imaging (HCI).
Key learning objectives include:
- Identify the right assays targeting T cell biology with immunotherapeutics at the different steps of the cancer immunity cycle such as T cell activation, migration, infiltration, and tumor killing
- Application of a unique 3D organoid platform with immune cell co-culture for immunotherapy studies and the advantages of autologous systems
- Integration of high content imaging-based screening to evaluate drug responses in 3D assays
- Modeling T cell exhaustion in a more physiologically relevant in vitro human system for the function-based screening of successful immunotherapeutics that delay or reverse this roadblock in antigen-specific T cell activity/proliferation
