We are delighted to be supporting Dr Karolina Rygiel in her fellowship and research project: Developing spatial immunopeptidomics in colorectal cancer.
Understanding the spatial organisation of molecules within tissues is paramount to deciphering disease mechanisms and developing cures. Cancer research emphasises the importance of the tumour microenvironmnent (TME) in designing both off-the-shelf and personalised immunotherapies.
However, the spatial distribution of epitopes, peptide-Human Leukocyte Antigen (p-HLA) complexes presented to the immune system, has never been explored. We plan to map the distribution of individual pHLA molecules in conjunction with the TME to study localised immune responses in colorectal cancer (CRC). The emerging immunogenic peptides will potentially become attractive immunotherapy targets.
Good luck Karolina in your fellowship.