2010 Free to Breathe Young Investigator Research Grant
Sunil Singhal, MD
University of Pennsylvania
Research Project:
How Lung Tumors Suppress Recognition
Summary:
Cancer cells are able to continue to grow and divide, in part, because they suppress the normal action of immune cells and escape recognition as “enemies” by the immune system. Researchers have been searching for ways to make a person’s own immune system recognize cancer cells and subsequently eliminate them. Dr. Singhal’s goal is to discover and characterize the network of factors created by human lung tumors that suppress recognition by the immune system. Ultimately, Dr. Singhal hopes this research will lead to methods to target these immune-suppressing factors and make current therapies more effective.