Shiladitya Sengupta, PhD

Research Project:
Targeting a Novel Mechanism of Immuno-evasion in Lung Cancer

Grant Awarded:

Lung Cancer Discovery Award

Research Topics:

basic biologic mechanisms
combination therapies experimental therapeutics
immunology immunotherapy

Research Disease:

lung cancer

Lung cancer is a devastating disease. Despite the success of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), only a subset of patients respond to treatment. One of the main factors limiting the efficacy of ICIs is that tumors often do not have immune cells. In a recent study, published in Nature Nanotechnology (2022), we demonstrated that cancer cells harvest immune cell mitochondria (small organelles responsible for energy generation and cellular signaling) by forming tiny intercellular tunneling tubes called nanotubes. We found that the immune cells that lost mitochondria died, contributing to the loss of immune cells in the tumor, and rendering ICIs ineffective. In this research project, we will explore, for the first time, this novel mechanism of immune evasion in an array of lung cancers (with diverse genetic background), and test a novel class of inhibitors that target a central driver of nanotube formation. These inhibitors can emerge as a new class of immunotherapies that address the loss of immune cells in tumors. The combining these with ICIs can be a paradigm shift in the treatment of lung cancer.

Supported by the Mary Fuller Russell Fund

Page last updated: January 3, 2024

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