Tissue Immunity and Cancer

Undergraduate / Graduate

This course explores classical and contemporary cancer immunology and immunotherapy concepts. It covers fundamental knowledge in cancer immunity, immune evasion, and immunotherapy design through lectures and primary literature reviews. The unique aspect of this course is its focus on tissue-specific immunity and how it impacts tumor surveillance or aids cancer progression. This perspective leads students to the forefront of cancer research, investigating why tumors vary in aggressiveness across different tissues and why treatments differ in effectiveness. Students will also learn about the principles of adaptive and innate immune system coordination against tumorigenesis and how these systems can be manipulated to facilitate or hinder tumor progression. The course uses colon, skin, and pancreas as examples to illustrate how various tissues establish distinct immune-cancer interactions, leading to diverse responses against primary or metastatic tumors and promoting cancer immune evasion. Additionally, the course discusses advancements in cancer immunotherapy, spanning pre-clinical and clinical testing stages, with an emphasis on using tissue-specific immunity to design optimal treatments. Students will be assessed through in-class discussions, take-home assignments, exams, and an end-of-term project on a topic of their choice.