Tumor cells often exhibit phenotypic plasticity, with significant intra- and inter-patient heterogeneity, posing a significant hurdle for targeting all tumor cells via traditional small molecule-based targeted therapy or even targeted immunotherapy (e.g., antibody, CAR T).

 

We study the many facets of tumor heterogeneity and elucidate how they pose hurdles to various types of immunotherapies in syngeneic mouse models, with the goal of identifying key molecular, cellular, and immunological mechanisms that can be leveraged for engineering more effective immunotherapies.