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The project:
CD8+ T cells are crucial players of immunity due to their paramount role in killing malignant and virally infected cells. This is why novel immunotherapy treatments use CD8+ T cells to eradicate cancer. In one of these treatments, the T cells are genetically modified to express artificial receptors that target specific proteins on cancer cells. This CAR (Chimeric Antigen Receptor) T cell therapy uses patients’ T cells to recognise and fight cancer and achieves up to 90% clinical responses against some blood cancers. However, CAR-T cells usually die early after administration, and their persistence depends on tumour type and production method. CAR-T cell therapy also shows very low efficacy against solid tumours due to low CAR-T cell infiltration within the tumour and the inhospitable tumour microenvironment. Long-lasting CAR-T cells that can infiltrate tumours better and persist for longer periods are crucial for successful therapy and prevention of disease relapse.
This project will investigate how to produce fitter CAR-T cells that can persist for longer and infiltrate solid tumours better. To do that we will focus on determining the role of low oxygenation (hypoxia) in T cell responses. We want to uncover how and why hypoxia can have both beneficial and detrimental effects and use the gained knowledge to improve CAR-T cell persistence in solid tumours.
We are looking for:
The successful candidate can grow in a lively and interactive working atmosphere within a well-connected network of PhD students and scientists
We offer:
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