Guangyong Peng, MD, PhD

Professor, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

WashU Medicine

Talk Title: Senescent T Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment: Emerging Challenges for Immunotherapy

Host: Dr. Tristan Li

Abstract: Current immunotherapies have obtained promising results in cancer patients, but the overall effectiveness rates still vary among the tumor types. One of the key determinants for the therapeutic efficacy and immune responses is the functional state of the transferred/preexisting T cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME). This seminar will share the following information:

1) Identified that immunosenescence is an important T cell dysfunctional state in the TME in addition to exhaustion.

2) Introduce the functional role of senescent T cells in maintaining and amplifying immune suppression in the TME for tumor immunotherapy resistance.

3) Understand the potential mechanisms responsible for the development of senescent T cells in the TME.

4) Develop novel strategies to prevent T cell senescence for enhancing tumor immunity and immunotherapy.