‘Investigating the quantity and quality of T cells in paediatric solid tumours’ – Professor Di Yu
To date, efforts to develop one cancer vaccine for patients with a specific type of cancer have been largely unsuccessful. Most attempts have failed to activate the immune cells responsible for killing cancerous cells, known as T cells. In this project, we will utilize cutting- edge single-cell technologies to allow us to understand individual cancer-specific T cells in various paediatric cancer settings.
These emerging single-cell technologies, together with state-of-the-art infrastructure accessible to our partners at the Translational Research Institute (TRI) and the combined knowledge bank of our global research team, make us well-positioned to generate individual landscapes of tumour-specific T cells – the key to navigating the complexities and uniqueness of paediatric cancer treatment.
Using this information, we aim to design a truly unique vaccine prototype for individual children through which only malignant tissue will be destroyed – actively reducing the risk of additional harm to normal tissues of the body.
If successful, this vaccine will be the first of its kind – designed specifically for paediatric use and removing significant barriers to full recovery and enhanced life outcomes for paediatric cancer patients. It also has the potential to provide the foundation for exponential adaptation across immunotherapy treatments.