Targeting oncogenic hubs of solid tumours to overcome immune evasion from adoptive T cell transfer (P15)

• Subject Area: Immunology
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 441891347

We focus on CAR-T and  T cells that recognise and kill tumour cells independently of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) to overcome some of the major mechanisms by which tumours avoid MHC-restricted T cell recognition. We will decipher whether oncogenic signalling downstream of oncogenic PI3K or BRAF (i) regulates ECM stiffness, which in turn reduces tumour infiltration by adoptively transferred T cells; (ii) enhances the recognition and elimination of tumour cells by human  T cells and (iii) drives expression of PD-L1 and its impact on adoptive cell transfer using novel CAR-T designs or  T cells.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1479: Oncogene-driven immune escape (OncoEscape)
• Applicant Institution: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
• Project Head: Professorin Susana Minguet, Ph.D.