A Novel Bispecific Antibody to Target the Brain Tumor Microenvironment
Kyuson Yun, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Neurology
Houston Methodist Chair, Neurodegenerative Disease Research
Houston Methodist Research Institute
Weill Cornell Medical College
Pioneers in Biomedical Research Seminar
A Novel Bispecific Antibody to Target the Brain Tumor Microenvironment
Date: May 2, 2025
Time: 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
About this Seminar
While immunotherapies have shown remarkable efficacy in some cancers, most solid tumors, including brain cancers, are resistant to immunotherapies. Immunotherapies are ideal for treating brain cancers since immune cells can cross the blood brain barrier (BBB) and track and selectively kill infiltrating brain cancer cells while sparing normal brain cells. Unfortunately, most brain cancer trials with immunotherapies have failed to demonstrate significant benefits to brain cancer patients thus far. Dr. Yun and her team recently identified S100A4 as a critical regulator of immune suppressive myeloid and T cells in GBM through single cell sequencing analysis, and developed a novel S100A4 blocking antibody. To enhance BBB penetration, we also developed a bispecific antibody that crosses the BBB and reprograms the GBM TME to more an inflammatory state. Dr. Yun will discuss our progress in understanding the immune suppressive microenvironment in GBM and the therapeutic potential of a novel bispecific antibody for treating brain cancers.
Additional Details
This is a free event hosted by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and co-sponsored by the institute's Cancer Research Center — Roanoke. The Pioneers in Biomedical Research Seminar Series, which runs annually from September to May, has featured leading biomedical researchers from throughout the country since the program began in 2012. The lectures are also open to all members of the Virginia Tech community including graduate students, undergraduates, faculty, and staff, as well as the public.
You May Also Be Interested In...
-
Home Item
Is It What You Eat or When You Eat? Evidence for Time Restricted Eating in Humans , homeFeb. 27, 2026, 11:00 a.m. | Lisa Chow, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Pennock Family Land Grant Chair in Diabetes Research, University of Minnesota | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Center for Exercise Medicine Research
-
Home Item
A Nicotine-Focused Regulatory Strategy: The Science , homeMarch 13, 2026, 11:00 a.m. | Dorothy Hatsukami, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Forster Family Chair in Cancer Prevention, Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Cancer Research Center – Roanoke
-
Home Item
From BDNF to Rett Syndrome: Synapses, Networks, and Social Behaviors in Mecp2 Mutant Mice , homeMarch 27, 2026, 11:00 a.m. | Lucas Pozzo-Miller, Ph.D., Mall Family Endowed Professor for Genetic Autism Research, Department of Pediatrics & Human Development, College of Medicine, Michigan State University | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Center for Neurobiology Research
-
Home Item
The Effects of Aging and Physical Activity on Cardiovascular Structure and Function , homeApril 10, 2026, 11:00 a.m. | Ben Levine, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Cardiology, Clinical Heart and Vascular Center, Distinguished Professorship in Exercise Sciences, UT Southwestern Medical Center | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Center for Exercise Medicine Research
-
Home Item
The Golden Age of Immunology Research , homeApril 16, 2026, 5:30 p.m. (Reception at 5 p.m.) | Lewis Lanier, Ph.D., J. Michael Bishop Distinguished Professor and Chair Emeritus, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco; Elected Member, National Academy of Sciences | Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture
-
Home Item
New Insights into Cardiac Mechanobiology: Role of Caveolar Nanodomains in Mechano-electrochemical Signal Transduction , homeApril 17, 2026, 11:00 a.m. | Alexey Glukhov, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, UW-Madison Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research, University of Wisconsin | Co-Sponsored by the Center for Vascular and Heart Research, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute