Lavakumar Karyampudi, PhD
Mayo Clinic
PD1 regulated dendritic cells: A target for ovarian cancer immunotherapy
Immunosuppression that prevails in ovarian tumor microenvironment is the main reason for the recurrence of disease in ovarian cancer patients. Blockade of suppressor cells and/or immune inhibitory networks during vaccination has great chance at reducing recurrence among patients. PD-1/B7-H1 axis is a major inhibitory pathway in ovarian cancer. This pathway is known to negatively regulate anti-tumor T cells but Dr. Karyampudi’s recent study shows that PD-1+ dendritic cells mediate immunosuppression in ovarian cancer. This project will aim to understand these dendritic cells in order to develop successful vaccination strategies aimed at targeting PD-1/B7-H1 axis in ovarian cancer.