Gamma Delta T cells are Promising Immunotherapy Targets for Colorectal Cancer - Marina Yakou
Channel: The Royal Society of Victoria
Date: 19/10/2023

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the 2nd leading cause of cancer death in Australia, with ~15,000 new cases and ~5,300 deaths in Australia annually. Despite the success of immunotherapy drugs for many types of cancers, over 95% of CRC patients remain unresponsive to these treatments. Further complications arise from current immunotherapies, which are associated with autoimmune-like side-effects, creating an urgency to develop CRC-specific immunotherapies to overcome these adverse events and enable more improved responses for CRC patients.

Intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) are among the mucosal immune cells which protect the gut barrier. These unique and heterogenous populations of tissue-resident immune cells (T-IELs) are interspersed within the gut epithelium, predominantly comprising Alpha Beta (αβ) and Gamma Delta (γδ) T cells.

IELs, particularly γδ T-IELs, are important for controlling CRC development and progression, highlighting their potential as anti-cancer agents. The data gathered by Marina Yakou and her colleagues show IELs are required to control tumour immunity in the colon. Overall, their work paves the way for development of CRC-specific immunotherapies and biomarkers to predict disease progression, ultimately improving patient survival.

In recognition of the quality and significance of her research, Marina Yakou is the Second Prize Winner in the Biomedical and Health Sciences category for the Royal Society of Victoria's Young Scientist Research Prizes in 2023. Marina's presentation has been filmed and published with the support of the Inspiring Victoria program.