Research summary
We know that the immune system and cancer interact, and that a patient’s immune cells can be directed to kill cancer cells. But we still have much to learn about how this works.
Dr. Shawn Beug, Canada Research Chair in Apoptosis in Cancer and Immunity, aims to understand how factors involved in apoptosis (programmed cell death) regulate cancer and immunity. Using state-of-the-art molecular and genetic approaches, Beug and his research team are identifying what factors cancer and immune cells need to communicate and survive. This knowledge could lead to new immune-based therapies and strategies to treat cancer.