Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, ITALY
Warming up immunologically “cold” tumors by combination therapies
Host: F. Benvenuti
Abstract: Abstract
T cell infiltration in solid tumor represents a prerequisite for effective immunotherapy, and better clinical outcome. In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), neoplastic cells promptly hijack host immune responses by disrupting antigen presentation, and establishing a tumor microenvironment hostile for T cell infiltration and fitness by the preferential recruitment and activation of leukocytes with immune regulatory properties. We took advantage of both autochthonous PDAC mouse models and human samples to evaluate the efficacy of novel therapeutic strategies in restoring cancer immunosurveillance in PDAC. We exploited different therapeutic approaches promoting T cell infiltration and fitness in tumors and demonstrated that immunotherapy is suitable as well in PDAC when proper conditions are met. Our data demonstrate that restoring immune activation and T cell priming as well as reprogramming the tumor microenvironment or tumor cells is crucial to support cancer immunity.
Personal statement
Began his academic journey in 2010 at the Ovarian Cancer Research Center (OCRC) at the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, USA), working under the mentorship of Dr. George Coukos. During this time, he completed his Ph.D., focusing on cancer immunology in solid tumors. In 2013, he was awarded an AIRC 3-year fellowship, which enabled him to bring his expertise and knowledge back to Italy. He joined forces with Prof. V. Bronte to renovate the Immunology section at the Univ. of Verona, where they established a collaborative immuno-oncology research network. These efforts led to the rapid development of a translational research program addressing both cancer and emerging diseases, such as COVID-19. His primary research interest lies in exploring the bidirectional interaction between tumors and the immune system, with a particular focus on identifying and counteracting tumor-induced immune evasion mechanisms, as well as developing novel immunotherapeutic strategies, particularly for pancreatic cancer and other solid tumors.
International Seminar Programme
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