Tumor Associated Myeloid Cells and their Contribution to Tumor Outcome

My laboratory studies the mechanisms that control the development, homeostasis and function of tissue resident myeloid cells, which mostly consists of macrophages and dendritic cells (DC).

Macrophages are hematopoietic cells that perform tissue-specific functions critical for regulating and maintaining organ homeostasis. In contrast to most other hematopoietic cells, macrophages that reside in quiescent tissues originate from early hematopoietic precursors that take residence in tissues prior to birth. In this presentation, I will discuss how tissue cues control macrophage functional diversity to ensure tissue integrity. I will also discuss recent data from our laboratory showing that developmental diversity contributes to shaping macrophage functional specialization and that ontogenically distinct macrophages differently regulate tumor response to radiation therapy.

In contrast to macrophages, DC are constantly repopulated by DC restricted precursors that are recruited from the blood circulation. Our laboratory has contributed to the mapping of the regulatory network of DCs, and the identification of a lineage of DC, the CD103+ DC, which are specialized in the induction of CD8+ T-cell immunity. Here I will discuss recent data from the laboratory that revealed the critical role for tumor-associated CD103+ DC in tumor response to checkpoint blockade and argue for the need to study human CD103+ DC equivalent in clinical cancer immunotherapy.