Country of origin: Philippines
Subject: Cancer Biology
Matriculation year: 2021
Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment and massively improved patient survival. There is a plethora of immunotherapeutic modalities which all aim to boost the immune system’s ability to detect and eradicate tumours. These approaches include immune checkpoint inhibitors, cancer vaccines, and adoptive cell therapies (ACTs), with each strategy having its own set of strengths and weaknesses. For my PhD project, I am investigating a way to improve a form of ACT called Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell therapy. CAR T cells are lymphocytes that have been genetically customized to locate and destroy tumourigenic cells. Several modifications can be made on CAR T cells to increase their tumour clearing ability. For my study, I will specifically delete a gene called Fbxo7 (F-box only protein 7), and test its effect on T cell cytotoxicity in mouse tumour models. Fbxo7 is a gene involved a myriad of functions including mitophagy, proteasomal degradation, and cell cycle progression. More recently, it has been found to regulate various metabolic pathways in T cells, including glycolysis. In particular, Fbxo7 deficient T cells were found to be more glycolytic due to the stabilization of the rate- limiting glycolytic enzyme Phosphofructokinase. Since glycolysis is a key mediator of lymphocyte effector function, we hypothesize that T cells lacking Fbxo7 will be more adept at eradicating cancer cells, especially in the tumour microenvironment where glucose is present in limited quantities.
Educational Background:
BSc Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (Summa Cum Laude), University of the Philippines
MSc Radiation Biology (Distinction), University of Oxford
MRes Cancer Biology, University of Cambridge