Impact of high LET radiation on host immune response to augment immunotherapy

Active Research Project
Investigator(s): 
Edward K. Fung, Ph.D.
Related Institute: 
Last Updated: 
June 7, 2022

Award or Grant: SPORE in Prostate Cancer Developmental Research Program Award 

Local radiotherapy has been recognized as a powerful inducer of acute inflammation and immunogenic cell death. Seminal work implicating T cells in the response to local radiotherapy (RT) was reported years ago. But it was only recently that mechanisms conveying immunogenicity of irradiated tumor cells have been uncovered, providing an explanation for the radiation-induced abscopal effect. Despite its potent immuno-stimulatory properties, radiotherapy as a standalone intervention fails to mount a reliably effective anti-tumor immune response, presumably due to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. The goal of this work is to investigate the effect of radiation quality, including high-linear energy transfer (LET) alpha radiation delivered by targeted radionuclides, on the immune response and immune-mediated abscopal effect. 

Weill Cornell Medicine
Department of Radiology
525 East 68th Street New York, NY 10065