A Novel Bispecific Antibody to Target the Brain Tumor Microenvironment

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.

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