Watch: Dr Robert Benson Presents 'Advancing Immune-Targeted Cancer Therapies'

Dr Robert Benson, our Director of Immunology, talks us through aspects of the tumour microenvironment (TME), and how modelling them can aid development of immune therapies.

Modelling the TME

The TME is a complex system consisting of many different immune cell types. Modelling aspects of the TME is essential to developing immune therapies. In his talk, Robert discusses how we can assess:

• T cell hyperresponsiveness 

• Target antigen density 

• The TME as a whole

As immune therapies evolve, there’s an increasing demand for more physiologically relevant models. Human-based in vitro assays can effectively evaluate immune target cancer therapeutics.

The TME and immune therapies 

At RoukenBio, our research team has meticulously designed a diverse suite of platforms that utilise primary immune cells (such as T cells, macrophages, NK cells, B cells, neutrophils, and dendritic cells) to assess candidate therapies within the dynamic context of the TME.  

Robert presents our impressive assay armoury, including our unique IndEx-2 system for the estimation of antigen thresholds for initiation of effector functions. By integrating these platforms with our novel dual-inducible expression system (IndEx-2), we can comprehensively elucidate a therapeutic’s mechanism of action and safety profile. We can also use patient biopsy material to develop co-culture systems and 3D models. 

Switching on immune processes is central to developing immuno-oncology therapies. Conversely, switching them off holds potential for treating autoimmune diseases like RA, MS, SLE, and Chron’s disease.