Dr. Kurnick’s activities
in cellular immunology are focused on the ability
of in vivo activated T lymphocytes to recognize antigens
expressed on autologous human tumors. Recent work
in human melanomas has indicated that tumor cells
can reversibly down-modulate expression of tumor-associated
antigens, allowing them to escape immune recognition
and destruction. Using cellular and molecular technologies,
Dr. Kurnick and his associates, Drs. Paul J. Durda
and Ian S. Dunn, have shown that gene regulatory events
allow tumors to escape and that certain activations
pathways and transcription factors can be used to
reestablish antigen expression in tumors that can
no longer be recognized. Using technologies including
T lymphocyte and tumor cell cloning, together with
molecular techniques to evaluate gene expression and
biochemical analysis of activation pathways, the laboratory
utilizes a variety of in vitro technologies to develop
novel means for enhancing the immune response to tumors.
Both stable and transient transfections are used together
with fluorescent reporters to evaluate the cellular
and molecular events involved in tumor-host interactions.
Collaborations with other investigators allow utilization
of mouse models as well as human studies. |
