RESEARCH
THEME 2
THE LYMPH NODE
The tumour microenvironment does not end where the tumour stops.
Downstream lymph nodes form part of the extended microenvironment. Connected to a tumour by lymphatic vessels, draining lymph nodes collect and are bathed in the same milieu as components within the tumour itself. With lymph nodes one of the first sites of metastasis in many tumours, and a major cause of mortality, the lymph node likely also co-evolves with the primary tumour. We are particulalry interested in understanding how and when stromal cells within tumour draining lymph nodes adapt and respond to tumour induced changes, and what the functional consequences of this modified microenvironment are.
STROMAL REPROGRAMMING IN TUMOUR DRAINING LYMPH NODES
Defining the events that take place in supporting stromal cells of tumour draining lymph nodes required for tumour progression and metastasis to occur, with a focus on fibroblastic reticular cells and lymphatic endothelial cells.
TECHNIQUES: Preclinical tumour models, single node cell sorting, 3D culture models, whole genome analysis, realtime confocal imaging.
MECHANISMS AND CONSEQUENCES OF LYMPH NODE REMODELLING
Project goals are to identify critical cues driving lymph node reomodelling, specifically within tumour draining lymph nodes and the functional consequences these changes convey.
TECHNIQUES: Preclinical tumour models, ex vivo culture systems, realtime confocal imaging, functional assays.
MECHANISMS DRIVING IMMUNE DYSFUNCTION IN TUMOUR MICROENVIRONMENT: A DRAINING LYMPH NODE PERSPECTIVE
We aim to understand how and when in tumour development the functions of lymph node resident immune populations are modified to no longer effectively recognise and target abnormal tumour cells.
TECHNIQUES: Flow cytometry, preclinical models of tumour and immunological function, complex in vitro assays, live imaging