Harnessing the Innate Immune System to Target Cancer

Dr Barbara Rolfe,
Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, presents:

Harnessing the Innate Immune System to Target Cancer

The complement system is an essential part of the innate immune system, regulating inflammation, facilitating immune defence mechanisms and maintaining tissue homeostasis. Despite its critical role in the production of effective immune responses, the complement system has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of a range of inflammatory diseases including cancer.

Research in our laboratory and others has demonstrated that complement proteins, in particular the complement anaphylatoxins C3a and C5a, contribute to tumour growth and metastasis. Complement proteins have been shown to promote tumour growth indirectly, either via host immune cells to promote an immunosuppressive microenvironment, or via vascular cells to promote angiogenesis. However these proteins may also have tumour-intrinsic effects, by contributing to genetic instability and promoting tumour growth.

This talk will describe our investigations into the potential of complement proteins (and their receptors) as therapeutic targets for cancer.