Exhaustion
Exhaustion
TRANSLATIONAL TUMOR IMMUNOTHERAPY RESEARCH
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL
LINEBERGER COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER
PI: JESSICA THAXTON, PHD, MSCR
Organelle Homeostasis in Immunity
Organelle structure underlies healthy cellular function.
We study the morphology of the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria in T cells and macrophages in the stress of the tumor microenvironment. We have used multiple innovative techniques to identify that the tumor microenvironment damages and dysregulates organelle structure in CD8+ T cells in tumors. We are studying strategies to modulate organelle structure in endogenous immunity and CAR-T cells to promote long-term antitumor immunity.
We have identified that endoplasmic reticulum structure is altered in T cells in tumors and that this is driven by endoplasmic reticulum structural protein CKAP4. This work is under review, Immunity.
