Thomas Hägglöf, PhD

The immune system protects us from infections, but it also plays an important role in fighting cancer. While many cancer treatments now focus on using the immune system to attack tumors, these treatments don’t work for everyone. To improve these therapies, we need to better understand how different immune cells behave inside tumors. Our research program focuses on a specific type of immune cell called the B cell. B cells are best known for making antibodies, but recently it was discovered that they are also found inside many types of tumors. Some B cells seem to help the body fight cancer, while others may actually help cancer grow. Right now, we don’t fully understand which B cells do what, or how. Our project will track how B cells enter tumors and how the tumor environment changes their behavior. We will use advanced tools in mice to follow B cells over time and test how certain stress signals, like low oxygen or changes in nutrients, affect how B cells grow and function. This work aims to discover better ways to boost the helpful B cells and block the harmful ones. By learning how to control these B cells, we hope to make immune-based cancer treatments work better for more people.  Our ultimate goal is to use the immune system more effectively to help patients survive and thrive after a cancer diagnosis.