RESEARCH FIELD

Cancer Immunology

Cancer immunology investigates the interactions between tumours and the immune system, aiming to harness or restore immune surveillance to destroy cancer cells. The field has been transformed by the clinical success of immune checkpoint inhibitors (anti-PD-1/PD-L1, anti-CTLA-4), CAR-T cell therapies, and personalised cancer vaccines, driving explosive growth in academic and industry research. Core areas include the biology of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes, the immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment, natural killer cell cytotoxicity, and innate immune sensing of tumour antigens. High-dimensional technologies including single-cell RNA sequencing, mass cytometry, spatial transcriptomics, and CRISPR functional screens enable dissection of immune cell states with unprecedented resolution. Researchers seek to understand why some tumours are immunologically hot and others cold, and how to convert cold tumours. Funding from the National Cancer Institute, cancer charities, and the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry is among the most substantial in biomedicine.