Life Sciences Commons^™

Cell-Typing And Interaction Analysis Of The Immune Compartment Of The Tumor Microenvironment Using High-Resolution Omics Modalities, Courtney Taylor Schiebout

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) has provided a new frontier for the investigation of complex tissues. One ideal candidate for the utilization of this method is the tumor microenvironment (TME). The TME is often host to a complex set of cell populations and behaviors that can be highly influential for cancer inhibition or progression. This is especially true of the immune compartment of the TME: the presence of certain types of immune cells in the TME and their expression profiles can significantly affect cancer prognosis in some cases. By providing individual cell-level gene expression data, scRNA-seq can be highly informative for characterizing …

In Situ Vaccination Using Plant Viral Particles As A Novel Approach For Cancer Immunotherapy, Chenkai Mao

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Non-infectious to mammals, genetically, and physically stable plant virus-based nanoparticles have been increasingly studied as a novel platform for cancer vaccine and adjuvants due to their immunogenic properties. Our prior work showed that, empty cowpea mosaic virus (eCPMV), a plant virus-like particle (VLP) that is composed of a separated capsid, is an excellent in situ vaccine (ISV) for cancer immunotherapy; however, little is known about the mechanisms linked to their activities regarding recognition and antigen presentation.

In the present studies, we report cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) and RNA-lacking CPMV (empty, eCPMV) are both toll like receptor (TLR) agonists for TLRs …

Profiling Durable Anti-Tumor Memory T Cell Responses In Long-Term Melanoma Survivors, Jichang Han

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

While T-cell responses to cancer immunotherapy have been avidly studied,

long-lived memory has been poorly characterized. Of melanoma patients who

receive immunotherapy, long-term survivors are frequently found to develop

melanoma-associated vitiligo. Our prior work showed in a preclinical model that

vitiligo skin sustained a long-lived CD8+ resident memory T cell (TRM) population,

playing key roles in perpetuating anti-tumor immunity. However, the characteristics

and longevity of these memory T cells in melanoma survivors have not been defined.

In the present studies, we probed both the CD8+ and CD4+ T cell responses,

focusing on memory T cell responses in a cohort of …

Response And Molecular Control Of Cd8 T Cells During Infection And Cancer, Nicholas K. Preiss Dr.

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

CD8 T cells are potent immune effector cells capable of vast clonal expansion and clearance of infected or cancerous cells. After control of the pathogenic insult, CD8 T cells develop into quiescent, long-lived memory populations that are poised to mediate rapid protection upon reencounter with cognate antigen. These properties make control of CD8 T cell responses a highly desirable outcome of vaccine strategies and immunotherapy. Therefore, understanding how the effector function and memory differentiation of CD8 T cells are controlled at a molecular level is of great importance. In the context of infection with gammaherpesviruses (γHV), which form a latent …