Immune reactions in patients with metastatic breast cancer

Purpose and Aim: To study the mechanism behind how the innate immune system in late stage cancer patients is suppressed, with consequences and how to restore it.Survey of the field: Lymphocytes of the adaptive immune system can eradicate tumor cells. For this they need to be activated by cells of the innate immune system.

It is clear however, that tumors skew the immune system towards a “tolerogenic” faith, leading to immune-paralysis.

In this state the immune response is suppressed by the tumor and even induces a wound healing processes stimulating tumor progression.

All these mechanisms are mediated by innate immune cells.Project description and preliminary results: The focus of this project is on innate immune cell populations, their effect on the adaptive immune system and immune tolerance in cancer patients.

Using translational approaches with clinical collaborations we will: i) Study the principle and molecular mechanism behind innate systemic immune tolerance in late stage breast cancer patients. ii) Study the role of the tolerance inducing transcription factor AIRE in cancer patients iii) Study a unique lymph node macrophage subpopulation with positive prognostic impact in cancer patients, and its relation to B and T cell activation.Significance: This research will be important for understanding the heart of the matter - why the innate- and thus adaptive immune response in cancer patients is suppressed, with the aim to reveal novel mechanisms for immunosuppression.