The overall goal of my research is to design more effective vaccines against diseases such as cancer. It is known that white blood cells called T cells can kill tumour cells. Vaccines that induce the activity of T cells therefore hold considerable promise as new therapeutic agents.
We are looking at the specific immune cell populations involved in eliciting effective immune responses to vaccination, including the dendritic cells responsible for stimulating T cells, and other less well-known cells such as Natural Killer T (NKT) cells that contribute to the induced response. Working together with chemists, we are aiming to define compounds that can be incorporated into vaccines to ensure optimum, coordinated activity of all of the immune cells involved.
We are also exploring how other therapies for cancer, such as chemotherapy, radiation and hyperthermia, affect the immune system, with a view to combining these therapies with vaccination.
We work closely with New Zealand leaders in the fields of immunology, medicinal chemistry and clinical oncology to test our vaccines in cancer patients
