Immune Regulation and Tumour Immunotherapy Lab
*
Immune Regulation and Tumour Immunotherapy Lab *
“The team I’ve formed is greater than the Avengers if you ask me, dude.”
Sergio A Quezada, PhD
…. but seriously, we assembled a tremendous team of scientists committed to the goal of deciphering the rules of engagement between the immune system and cancer. Through the understanding of what immune cells recognise in tumour cells and what regulates such recognition, we aim to inform the development of novel therapeutics and combinations targeting the most complex cancer types.
Postdoctoral Research Fellows
Working hard, or hardly working?
-
Dr. Chen Qing
Works on developing novel antibodies targeting immune-modulatory receptors with the aim to promote anti-cancer immune responses. Projects include the selection of potential antibody candidates, evaluating their characteristics and functions, and investigating their mechanisms of action.
-
Dr. Cristóbal Costoya
Interested in improving T cell costimulation in tumours through antibody Fc engineering. Currently working on developing novel bispecific T cell engagers targeting TNFRSF receptors for more potent, precise and safer cancer immunotherapy.
-
Dr. Alexander Simpson
Investigates the role of Fc gamma receptors (FcγRs) in the modulation of IgG immunotherapy and the development of bispecific antibodies to enhance tumour targeting IgG.
-
Dr. Dimitrios A. Garyfallos
Focuses on using functional genomics to understand how the immune system recognises cancer, and to identify new targets for combination immunotherapies.
-
Dr. Christopher Aled Chamberlain
Investigates the immune systems role in brain cancers (glioblastoma), specifically the tumour-reactive T cell compartment and its regulation. Also works on improving adoptive cell therapies (ACT) such as tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte-based ACT (TIL-ACT) and is part of the Cancer Grand Challenges Team: MATCHMAKERS.
LinkedIn
Google Scholar
ORCID ID
Scopus
Lundbeck Foundation Research -
Dr. Enrique Conde-Gallastegi
Characterizes child tumours via multiomics, and is extremely interested in Immune Bionfirmatics, Tumour Immune Characterization, and Adoptive T-cell Therapies.
-
Dr. Welles Robinson
Focuses on cracking the code of how T cells recognise cancer cells as part of the Cancer Grand Challenges Team: MATCHMAKERS. Also interested in developing T cell therapies, including adoptive cell transfer of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL-ACT).
-
Dr. Kane Foster
Ex-Member/ ALL TIME HALL OF FAMER
kane.foster.19@ucl.ac.uk
In collaboration with the Yong LabExplored how changes in T cell differentiation can contribute to the progression of pre-cancerous and pre-malignant conditions including smouldering multiple myeloma. Investigates T cell responses at the single cell level by analysing RNA-seq, TCR-seq and flow/mass cytometry data using machine learning and computational statistics.
-
Dr. Panayiotis Anastasiou
panayiotis.anastasiou.17@ucl.ac.uk
XWorking on identifying immune evasive mechanisms of brain cancers (GBM). Also investigates how to improve the efficacy and safety of Treg-depleting agents.
PhD Students
Our future leaders.
-
Mariela Navarrete Sanchez
Works on deciphering the role of the immune tumour microenvironment within the lung. Focused on understanding how the activity of Treg-depleting agents can be used to help design novel immunotherapy combinations that can help fight lung cancer.
-
Supreet Kaur Bola
Explores the T cell reactivity landscape in head and neck (H&N) and lung cancer using in vitro assays. Manages the processing, storage and retrieval of all clinical samples for immunological analysis ensuring compliance with the Human Tissue Act and maintaining Good Clinical Lab Practice. Other responsibilities include managing the lab website and social media.
-
Despoina Karagianni
Develops a loss-of-function pipeline with in vitro and in vivo models of tumour reactivity to identify targetable pathways that enhance the activation of dysfunctional T cells in the context of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Other responsibilities include the development of biparatopic antibodies to enhance the agonism of activating T cell receptors as part of the CRUK Biotherapeutics programme, lab maintenance and social media.
-
Jiali Liu
Designs and optimises a high-throughput screening platform for T cell receptor reactivity, whilst testing novel immunotherapy agents against glioblastoma via in vitro and in vivo assays. Characterises tumour-reactive T cells and identifies factors that mediate their reactivity and determine their phenotypes.
-
Kazimir Uzwyshyn Jones
kazimir.uzwyshyn-jones.23@ucl.ac.uk
Mapping the landscape of Fc gamma receptor (FcγR) expression in multiple myeloma (MM) to optimise IgG tumour targeting antibodies.
-
Felix O'Farrell
Investigates how T-cells recognise tumours using single cell workflows and computational approaches.
-
Bethan Hudson-Lund
bethan.hudson-lund.22@ucl.ac.uk
In collaboration with the Yong LabFocuses on identifying shared structural variants that could give rise to neoantigens in the context of Multiple Myeloma, computationally predicting immunogenic peptides before validating T cell reactivity in vitro.
-
Hongchang Fu
hongchang.fu.21@ucl.ac.uk
In collaboration with Litchfield LabDevelops the tumour fragment platform as an ex vivo technique to investigate immunotherapeutic response of inhibition in the nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) pathway.
-
Julia Hlond
j.hlond@ucl.ac.uk
In collaboration with the Jenner Lab and Mardakheh LabInvestigates the role and regulation of cytotoxicity in CD4+ T cells in tumours, focusing on post-transcriptional mechanisms using a variety of in vivo and proteomic approaches.
-
Zhuzhen Duan
zhuzhen.duan.22@ucl.ac.uk
Focuses on the development of adoptive cell transfer (ACT) therapy for cancers. Particularly interested in tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) and how to efficiently select and expand tumour-reactive lymphocytes in vitro.
Our Technicians
Would a lab function without them?
-
Angela Dwornik
Handles the processing, storage and retrieval of clinical samples for all trials, studies and biobanks. Manages lab orders and finances, maintains the general consumables stocks, and performs some administrative duties for the group. Other responsibilities include ensuring that the group’s human tissue training certificates are up to date (as required by the Human Tissue Act and Good Clinical Lab Practice).
-
Aniruddh Tyagi
The lab’s antibody and plasmid engineer, responsible for the discovery, modelling, designing, cloning and in vivo/ in vitro testing of novel Bi-, Tri-, and Tetra-specific antibodies engaging innate and adaptive immune cells. Works in tandem with the Glioblastoma team with TCR chain pairing and engineering projects, and maintains the lab website.
-
Irene Sanz Fernandez
Develops novel multivalent antibodies that activate both the innate and adaptive immune systems by targeting different receptors within the Biotherapeutics team. This includes producing and rigorously testing these antibodies across in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo platforms, whilst also delving into understanding their mechanisms of action.
-
Gerasimos Theodoros Mastrokalos
(Ex- Member)
ALL-TIME HALL OF FAMERManaged the coordination, processing and storage of clinical samples from TRACERx EVO study, ensuring compliance with the Human Tissue Act and maintaining Good Clinical Lab Practice. Member and Explant Specialist of the CRUK CoL Explant and Patient-Derived Xenograft Core. Provided assistance to multiple projects involving the use of ex-vivo preclinical models, clinical trial documentation and experimental assays, particularly flow cytometry.