Harnessing the Immune System to Fight Cancer

What biomedical issue did you address in your research, and what did your studies find?

The goal of my Ph.D. research was to provide new information about how the immune system can be harnessed to improve the treatment of cancer. Cancer immunotherapy is a large and active area of research, based on approaches known to boost the body's immune response. While successful, current approaches are limited by an incomplete understanding of the immune system's cancer-fighting mechanisms.

In Dr. Pease's lab, we distinguished immune responses that occur in preclinical models of cancer. We looked closely at the antigen presentation machinery, which helps the immune system recognize and mount a response to cancer. Our studies identified one natural variant of the presentation machinery that generated a strong anticancer response, while another natural variant mounted a suboptimal immune response that failed to fully protect against the cancer.

We mapped the mechanisms that generate the best immune response and found that an anticancer response involves cells and molecules beyond the killer T cells that are best known to reject cancers. Instead, we found mechanisms involving helper T cells, antibody-producing B cells and antibodies. We are working to identify the specific segment of the antigen that activates helper T cells to clear the cancer in our model system. We plan to use the knowledge gained from our model to develop a new therapy strategy for cancer patients, activating a patient's own helper T cells and B cells to produce effective antitumor antibodies that fully fight the disease.

What aspects of Mayo's culture helped you grow as a scientist and as a thinker?

When I first joined Mayo Clinic as a postbaccalaureate researcher, a group of older Ph.D. students in the lab set a tone that has helped me succeed. The students were very vocal in seminars — an approach encouraged by their mentors — asking questions about the experimental data and getting to the core of the science being discussed. Their rigorous questioning inspired me, and I have become a vocal participant at my department's seminars as well.

I've aimed to pay their lesson forward. During my Ph.D., I have had the opportunity to teach and mentor others. I lectured in the Immunology track's flow cytometry workshop and the summer Immunology course that Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) students take. I served as a tutor for the graduate school's Immunology course and informally helped students prepare for the qualifying exams. Additionally, I have had the opportunity to mentor SURF students in a laboratory setting. Watching undergraduates grow their passion and experience in science has been incredibly rewarding.

What's next?

I aim to have a career in an academic research environment. I am applying to and interviewing for postdoctoral fellowships to continue research in immunology and also gain teaching experience along the way. My plan is to continue performing scientific research and to help the next generation of scientists gain the skills they need to succeed.