Sooyun Cho Sciences
Identifying Immune Effectors Driving Selection of MHC I-deficient Tumors
Scholars Journal
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States driving the impetus for advancement of immunotherapies which often involve immune effector cells such as CD8+ T cells. These immune-mediated therapies showed efficacy in controlling outgrowth of tumors; however, recent clinical evidence shows that many patients develop resistance to these therapies through the loss of MHC I, a cell surface protein required for tumor recognition by CD8 T cells. Soo will develop a murine model to test the hypothesis that CD8 T cells select for MHC I-deficient tumors in the presence of immunotherapy, specifically checkpoint blockade. Determining whether CD8 T cells drive the selection for MHC I-deficient tumors will significantly contribute to cancer immunology with implications for developing alternative immunotherapies targeting MHC I-deficient tumors.
Major: Molecular and Cell Biology
Mentor: David Raulet, Molecular and Cell Biology