Analysis of the cytotoxic capacity of the different subpopulations of CD8+ T lymphocytes in a 2D and 3D model of melanoma

• Grant number: 24/00188-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2024
• End date: October 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Immunology - Cellular Immunology
• Principal Investigator: João Gustavo Pessini Amarante Mendes
• Grantee: Leonardo Vicente Moura
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/23465-3 - Advanced approaches to investigate Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TILs) and their function, BE.EP.IC

Abstract

Although widely described and studied, cancer still has a high lethality, being one of the leading causes of death in the world. Several mechanisms and treatments have already been and are being developed to try to curb this lethality. The main defense mechanism of the human body is the immune system and, for cancer in particular, the main cells responsible are CD8+ T lymphocytes, known as cytotoxic. These cells can be divided into small groups, or subsets, the Tc1, Tc2, Tc9, Tc17 and Tc22. Among them, different activation pathways, effector molecules and cytotoxic profiles have been described, raising the question of which of these subpopulations are most effective at fighting a tumor, since the greater or lesser presence of certain groups of CD8+ T lymphocytes may be related to a greater or lesser success of tumorigenic expansion. Thus, the study of the interaction and cytotoxic attack of these different subpopulations is important to better understand the body's defense mechanism against cancer.