Targeted delivery of immune stimulants
We are developing several immune modulating drugs, vaccines and adjuvants that have the potential to help the body’s immune system fight cancer.
Immune therapy is one of the most exciting and promising areas of clinical cancer research. Maurice Wilkins Centre investigators have discovered several immune modulating drugs and vaccines that have the potential to help the body’s immune system fight cancer.
Tumours are typically hypoxic (deprived of oxygen) and harbour microenvironments that can greatly reduce the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapies through multiple mechanisms. Certain hypoxia targeting technologies are recognised as a promising approach to safely deliver immunomodulatory agents to tumours whilst avoiding healthy non-cancerous cells. Continued research and clinical trials on hypoxia activated prodrugs and their payloads will build upon previous successes of MWC investigators, with a focus on how these therapies can better work with the patient’s own immune system. Close coordination with tumour immuno-genotyping and immune-phenotyping efforts will maximise the impact of biomarker guided clinical studies.