The Immunology Podcast

Dr. Lili Yang is a Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research centers on deciphering the molecular mechanisms regulating anti-cancer immune responses, exploiting knowledge to develop novel immunotherapies for treating cancer, and translating these new cancer immunotherapies from bench to bedside. She talks about engineering off-the-shelf immunotherapies to fight cancer and generating CAR-NKT cells from hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. She also discusses the role of serotonin and how SSRIs can affect cancer therapy efficacy.

Dr. Rahul Roychoudhuri is a Professor of Cancer Immunology at the University of Cambridge (Department of Pathology) and Director (Non-Clinical) of the CRUK Cambridge Centre Training Programme. His lab studies immunoregulatory mechanisms in inflammation and cancer. He talks about enhancing cell therapy with new payloads and targeting cancer cells during metastasis.

Dr. Pascal Meier is a Professor and Group Leader at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, England. His group investigates the complex relationship between cell death, immunity, and tumorigenesis. Particularly, they are focused on the role of cell death and inflammation in adaptation to tissue stress, treatment resistance, and tumour surveillance.

Dr. Marcelo Hill is the Head of the Laboratory of Immunoregulation and Inflammation at the Institut Pasteur de Montevideo. He is also the Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of ARDAN ImmunoPharma. His research focuses on immune regulation in cancer, and how T cells respond to immunotherapy in melanoma. He talks about improving immunotherapy efficacy by activating the inflammasome, and how he is pushing this research towards the clinic by collaborating with industry and creating a spin-off company. He is then joined by Drs. Marion Brunck and María Julia Lamberti, who discuss the upcoming meeting of the Latin American and Caribbean Association of Immunology, taking place November 4-8 in Buenos Aires. They discuss the challenges and opportunities in the Latin American immunology community, and how this conference aims to promote collaborations and empower early-career researchers.