Tumor immunology
Our lab focuses on several cancer types, including non-small cell lung cancer, high-grade serous ovarian cancer, glioblastoma, and melanoma. We develop murine model systems that accurately replicate clinically relevant phenotypes and use comparative models to investigate why immune responses fail to control tumors.
Horton Sci. Immunol. 2021, Zagorulya Immunity 2023
Dendritic cell activation and antigen presentation
Dendritic cells are rare but essential for detecting diseased cells through specialized receptors that sense danger. We aim to understand how interactions between dendritic cells and cancer cells influence the cells’ ability to stimulate an immune response.
Fessenden JITC 2022, Nguyen eLife 2023, Roerden JITC 2024, Roerden Nat. Rev. Immunol. 2025
Tissue-specific tumor immunity is initiated in the draining lymph node
Dendritic cells play a crucial role in communicating detected threats to T cells. They migrate to the lymph nodes, where they interact with T cells in an antigen-specific manner. These early interactions are essential for shaping the functional capacity of the T cell response and, ultimately, the ability to control the tumor.
At the same time lymph nodes serve as communication hubs that tailor immune responses to the specific needs of the organs they drain. We study how different lymph node environments are established and how these localized conditions either suppress or promote anti-tumor immune responses.
Horton Sci. Immunol. 2021, Zagorulya Immunity 2023
T cell priming determines the functional T cell state
After their initial activation, T cells differentiate and acquire effector functions or other traits that enable them to eliminate cancer cells, survive within the tumor microenvironment, or persist in lymphoid organs as memory cells. We aim to understand how dendritic cell-derived signals and therapeutics influence T cell fate.
Bhandarkar V, Dinter T, Sci. Immunol. 2025
T cell homing and restimulation by tumor resident dendritic cells
For T cells to effectively control tumors, they must be recruited into the tumor microenvironment. This process is guided by chemokine gradients, often established by dendritic cells within the tumor. We study how specific environments, tumor contexts, and immune cell populations influence T cell infiltration and distribution.
Within the tumor, T cells must frequently interact with stimulatory myeloid cells to sustain their effector function. These interactions are spatially coordinated by chemokine gradients. We aim to identify which myeloid populations are best suited for stimulatory interactions and which ones suppress anti-tumor immunity.
Spranger Cancer cell 2017, Duong Immunity 2021, Chatterjee Semin. Immunol. 2023, Torres CIR 2025
Cancer immunotherapy
To therapeutically modify immune responses, we are exploring checkpoint blockade immunotherapy, cytokine therapy, peptide and mRNA-based immune stimulation, and innovative immune-engineering approaches to enhance anti-tumor immunity. Our studies aim to uncover the mechanisms behind each therapeutic intervention’s effectiveness, accelerating translation and therapeutic development.
Horton JCIInsights 2023, Morgan Sci. Immunol. 2024, Roerden JITC 2024