What We Study

Interferon Signaling in Cancer

Many cancers can express genes that normally are associated with infection with pathogens like viruses. We seek to understand how this happens and what are the consequences on cancer progression and response to therapy.

Cancer Immunotherapy

Harnessing the immune system to attack tumors is a revolutionary approach to treat cancer. However, for many patients the tumor can resist this attack. We are studying how this happens and novel ways to reverse it. In particular, we are focused on how cancers can borrow cues from chronic viral infections to evade the immune system.

Virus Mimicry and Cancer Therapy

Cancer therapies such as radiation often can activate cellular pathways typically associated with virus infection. We are studying the nature of the endogenous “self” molecules that mimic a virus infection after cancer treatment and how this impacts the immune system. An important goal is to use this understanding to effectively combine treatments like radiation with agents such as immune checkpoint blockade.

What’s Happening

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