We are so proud of Kelly Kersten, PhD and Kevin Tharp, Ph.D. for their collaborative research in cancer immunotherapy! #breastcancer #immunotherapy
The Sanford Burnham Prebys Wellness Ambassadors hosted a Science Connect event on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, featuring two faculty experts discussing their breast cancer research and its implications. The Science Connect Series provides a forum for Sanford Burnham Prebys principal investigators to share their research with administrative personnel. The immune system is one of the main defenses of the human body to fend off harmful pathogens and invasive cells, such as cancer. Kelly Kersten, PhD, wants to understand why immune cells called T cells enter a state known as exhaustion and lose their tumor-killing capacity. This knowledge will help her team find potential future therapies that could prevent T-cell exhaustion and improve immunotherapies for cancer patients. Kevin Tharp, Ph.D., presented his team’s work with the Kersten lab on another aspect of potential resistance to immunotherapy in breast cancer. Tharp and Kersten are studying the hypothesis that part of the reason why these therapies fail is due to tumor-associated fibrosis, the creation of a thick layer of fibrous collagen (like scar tissue) that acts as a barrier against the anti-tumor immune response. Read more: https://bit.ly/40MEapZ #breastcancer #breastcancerresearch #tcellexhaustion #immunotherapy #sandiego #lajolla #torreypines