Previously Funded Research

Joshua Veatch, MD, PhD

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Research Project:

Using CD4+ T cells to target the tumor microenvironment in non-small cell lung cancer

Summary:

“Helper” CD4 T cells coordinate the functions of other immune cells and are important for responses to immune therapies like PD-1 inhibitors in mouse models, but their functions in lung cancer are not well understood. We have recently found that we can identify the subset of CD4 T cells in melanoma patients that are specific for tumors based on a unique signature, and that the presence of these cells correlates with the activation of other immune cells like “Killer” CD8 T cells and macrophages. CD4 T cells with a similar signature exist in lung cancer, and we propose to see whether these cells are also specific for the tumor and whether they correlate with greater immune activation. The eventual goal is to use CD4 T cells targeting tumor antigens as a tool to activate immune cells within lung cancer to enhance other immune therapies including PD-1 inhibitors.