María Cecilia Lira, Ph.D.

Research

In the Vanpouille-Box lab, I will investigate how glioblastomas develop resistance to radiation therapy by reprogramming their metabolism. Glioblastoma is the most aggressive and incurable brain cancer. Although radiation therapy can stimulate the immune system to attack the tumor, the cancer will inevitably develop a treatment resistance that cannot be overcome. In preliminary studies, I determined that radiation therapy may inadvertently drive this resistance by causing the tumor cells to synthesize fatty acids that stimulate the production of immunosuppressive cell-surface receptors. By shutting down activated immune cells, these receptors allow the cancer to escape detection and elimination. Now, using advanced techniques in cell and molecular genetics, genomics, and immunology, I will determine how fatty acids boost expression of immune suppressive receptors, how these changes influence the proliferation and activation of immune cells when they encounter irradiated tumor cells, and whether targeting fatty acid synthesis can make glioblastoma more responsive to immunotherapy. These findings could lead to novel metabolic approaches for eradicating glioblastomas.

Mentor

• Claire Vanpouille-Box, Ph.D.

Country of Origin

• Argentina