Nelson LaMarche, PhD

Immunotherapy has changed how we treat cancer. It helps the immune system find and kill cancer cells. But only some patients benefit. In many cases, tumors contain cells that weaken the immune response and protect the cancer. One important group of these cells is called myeloid cells. They are made in the bone marrow, the soft tissue inside our bones. From there, they travel through the blood to tumors. Once in the tumor, they can stop the immune system from doing its job. Our recent work shows that these harmful cells may be shaped very early, while they are still developing in the bone marrow. We discovered that a rare cell called a basophil plays a key role. Basophils send out signals that guide how myeloid cells develop. In cancer, basophils become active and produce signals that lead to more immune-suppressing cells.Basophils have not been well studied in cancer. We do not yet know what turns them on or how they control other immune cells.Our goal is to answer these questions. First, we will identify the signals basophils release that promote immune suppression. Second, we will learn what activates basophils during cancer. By targeting these early steps in the bone marrow, we hope to create new treatments that help more patients respond to immunotherapy.