Peptide Identification and T-cell receptor discovery in cancer patient
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Peptide Identification and T cell receptor discovery in cancer patients
IRAS ID
336477
Contact name
Adam Frampton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of SUrrey
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Our immune system has evolved to detect, respond to and eliminate a range of foreign organisms which may invade our body, including bacteria and viruses. In addition, the immune system also recognises abnormal proteins, such as those found on the surface of cancer cells: It continually surveys our body looking for these altered proteins, and once detected responds by activating immune cells to destroy the cancer cells on which they are displayed. However, occasionally the process of ‘immune surveillance’ malfunctions, and the immune cells are unable to recognize the abnormal proteins on the cancer cell. As a result the cancer cell is not detected, and therefore not destroyed by the immune system and the cancer will grow, and potentially spread to other parts of the body.
New cancer treatments, called immunotherapies, work by kickstarting the body’s own immune system into recognising a tumour and targeting it for destruction. Immunotherapy is now routinely used in several cancers including melanoma, kidney cancer, lung cancer, bladder and breast cancer. However, immunotherapy works only in a minority of those cancer patients (although in those individuals it may work for years or even lead to cure) and there are many clinical trials trying to improve this by combining immunotherapy with other types of cancer treatment such as chemotherapy.
This study aims to examine/identify the abnormal proteins found on tumours of cancer patients including those who respond well to immunotherapy. We know the reason for the good response is due to the patient’s immune T cells recognising a small component of these abnormal cancer cell proteins, presented by HLA proteins on the tumour cell surface. New technology allows us to identify the exact structure of these small components by examining patient cancer tissue and immune white cells from the blood (called T lymphocytes). Understanding what immune T cells are targeting on the cancer cells surface (leading to their destruction) will allow new cancer treatments to be developed for patients.REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/NW/0091
Date of REC Opinion
9 Apr 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion