Study of tumor-specific T lymphocytes phenotypic profile in glioblastoma

• Grant number: 19/26089-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: July 01, 2020
• End date: April 30, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Immunology - Cellular Immunology
• Principal Investigator: Jose Alexandre Marzagão Barbuto
• Grantee: Carla Sanzochi Fogolin
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Gliomas are tumors of the central nervous system, among which glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive, invasive, undifferentiated and common in adults. Despite the different classifications of GBM, taking into account various genetic and molecular aspects, the standard treatment for this neoplasm is "maximum" surgical resection, followed by concomitant treatment with Temozolomide (TMZ) and radiotherapy. With this treatment, the median survival time of patients is about 15 months, indicating the urgency of developing new therapeutic approaches. One of these is immunotherapy; this modality seeks to explore and modulate the immune response, and among the different strategies, the use of dendritic cells (DC), potentially capable of triggering the T lymphocyte response, has been investigated at the Tumor Immunology Laboratory. We are currently studying a DC-based therapeutic vaccine for GBM patients, and in this study, it is necessary to assess the specific response of TCD4+ and TCD8+ lymphocytes. The present project stars from the hypothesis that the frequency and phenotype of tumor-specific T lymphocytes present in the blood and infiltrating the tumor in GBM patients, and their treatment-induced variation (possibly evaluated together with the molecular subtype of the tumor), may be relevant biomarkers for prognostic determination and / or response to treatment. To test the hypothesis, we will determine the frequency and phenotypic pattern of tumor-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes in the blood (pre-surgery, post-surgery and post-dendritic cell-based therapeutic vaccination) and tumor infiltrates, and correlate them with the pacients' clinical evolution, and eventually with the molecular subtype of the tumor. (AU)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

FOGOLIN, Carla Sanzochi. Monocyte-derived Dendritic Cells and Hematological Indexes in Glioblastoma Patients Who Underwent Immunotherapy. 2023. Master's Dissertation - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB/SDI) São Paulo.