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Cancer Biology and Imaging Group

Our laboratory has adopted a multidisciplinary approach to devise a biomarker and model-driven treatment stratification approaches, by bridging the gap between Physics, Biology and Medicine, particularly in the field of translational cancer research. We demonstrated for the first time the mechanism of how intracellular/exosomal PD-L1 trafficking is part of a tightly regulated immune surveillance mechanism linking exosomal measurements in the blood to direct cell-cell immunosuppressive interactions.

For clinical translation, we have pioneered the visualisation of protein interactions and conformational changes that are critical for cancer signalling pathways in preclinical models; as well as in patient-derived cancer tissues for establishing in vitro/companion diagnostics. These molecular and immunological expertise is being applied towards deep profiling of circulating immune cells and exosomes within the EU IMI2 consortium IMMUNAN (Integrated IMMUnoprofiling of large adaptive CANcer pa-tients cohorts).

Members

Paul Barber

Paul Barber

Senior Research Fellow

Ali Abdulnabi Mohamed

PhD Student

Julie Nuo En Chan

Julie Nuo En Chan

Research Associate

Gregory Weitsman

Gregory Weitsman

Research Fellow

immune cell activity at nanoscale

Imaging cancer and immune cell activity at nanoscale

We apply Optical Imaging/Biophysics at a nanoscopic scale (by deploying fluorescence lifetime imaging) to interrogate Cancer biological events including the Immunological synapse protein interactions (Ng T, et al. Imaging protein kinase C activation in cells. Science (1999) 283: 2085-2089 & Carlin LM, et al. Cdc42 activity oscillates during NK cell immune surveillance. Science Signalling 2011 doi 2001729). These techniques are also adapted for use in clinical patient samples.

systems inet

Systems integration approaches using multiomic assays to stratify patient treatment

We develop and deploy novel multimodal and multiomic assays, enhanced by systems biology/mathematical integration approaches, to dissect tissue based biological parameters, which are combined successfully with the use of clinical imaging to individualise cancer treatment (Barber P, et al. (2019) HER2-HER3 heterodimer quantification by FRET-FLIM and patient subclass analysis of the COIN colorectal trial. J Natl Cancer Inst: 10.1093/jnci/djz2 & Li BT, et al. (2020) HER2-mediated internalization of cytotoxic agents in ERBB2 amplified or mutant lung cancers. Cancer Discovery https://doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290)

exosomal cargoes

Use of exosomal cargoes to understand anti-tumour immunity and to stratify tumour immunotherapy

We define clinically relevant protein cargoes in circulating exosomes that are oncogenic drivers and/or are important for influencing tumour development via anti-tumour immunity (e.g. exosomal PD-L1 which has been demonstrated to be part of a tightly regulated immune surveillance mechanism) Monypenny J, et al (2018) ALIX Regulates Tumor-Mediated Immunosuppression by Controlling EGFR Activity and PD-L1 Presentation. Cell reports 24: 630-641)

bayesian based analytic approaches

Delivery of innovative clinical trials that incorporate Bayesian based analytic approaches

We deliver and innovate clinical trials that incorporate multimodal and multiomic approaches to personalise rational use of tumour targeted treatment combined with immunotherapies (Ng T, et al. (2018) The use of exosome and immune profiling to analyze a Phase 2 study on the addition of patritumab or placebo to cetuximab and a platinum agent for recurrent / metastatic head and neck cancer (R/M HNSCC) patients. ASCO; Journal of Clinical Oncology 36; Suppl 6043) & https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.09.22.21263942v1).

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Staff

Giovanna Alfano - Postdoctoral Fellow

James Monypenny - Research Fellow 

Karen DeSouza - Clinical Research Fellow

Luigi Dolcetti - Postdoctoral Fellow

Rami Mustapha - Postdoctoral Fellow 

Jose Miguel Vicencio Bustamante - Postdoctoral Fellow

Anna Pasto - Postdoctoral Fellow

Caitlin McCarthy - Postdoctoral Fellow

Courtney Savage - Research Assistant 

Camila Gomes - Research Assistant

PhD Students

Mohamed Ali

Muhith Md Abdul

Som Soamopriva 

Jinhai Deng

Group lead

tony-ng2

Professor Tony Ng

Richard Dimbleby Professor of Cancer Research

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