Supervisor: Dr Lisa Mielke

Laboratory: Mucosal Immunity and Cancer Laboratory

The Mucosal Immunity and Cancer Laboratory focuses on identifying new immune targets that can be explored to develop novel therapeutics to treat stomach and bowel cancers. We use mouse models and patient samples to understand the organ-specific functions of immune cells. We study heterogeneous populations of T cells, known as intraepithelial lymphocytes that are distinct in their frequency and function across different regions of the gastrointestinal tract. Our studies have identified one population, known as gamma delta T cells, that play a protective role in bowel cancer. In this project we will use multiple cutting edge technologies including crispr gene editing, single cell RNA sequencing, flow cytometry, multiplexed immunohistochemistry to understand the function of gamma delta T cells in mouse models and patient samples.