Role of CD4 T cells and APCs in the induction and maintenance of an effective antitumor response

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Many cancers are still untreatable by conventional therapies (surgery, chemotherapy and radiation). This includes malignant mesothelioma, a cancer associated with previous exposure to asbestos. Exposure can occur up to 30 years before the onset of this disease. The average time of survival for patients, from the time of diagnosis, is about nine months and the incidence of this disease is increasing. Novel therapies are therefore required to help alleviate this disease and perhaps eradicate it. Immunotherapy - using the body's own defence system to help fight cancer- is one potential form of new treatment. However we need to understand how the immune system and cancer normally interact with one another if we are to make rational decisions about the design of immunotherapies. We have established a laboratory model which allows us to investigate this interaction. We will determine which components of the immune system are required to eradicate cancer and at which stages of cancer growth they are most important. By understanding these pieces of the puzzle we may be able to tweak the system more appropriately or design vaccines that will be effective in at risk populations.