Cancer often spreads first to nearby lymph nodes, which are critical sites where the immune system normally detects threats and coordinates anti-tumor responses. However, tumors can disrupt the normal immune environment within these lymph nodes, allowing cancer to escape immune surveillance and spread further throughout the body.
Dr. Lane studies how the lymphatic system and immune tissues respond to inflammation and cancer. His earlier work uncovered previously unknown differences in intestinal lymphatic vessels and demonstrated how infection reshapes lymphatic structure and immune function. His project focuses on sentinel lymph nodes, the first lymph nodes that drain tumors such as melanoma.
His mentor, Dr. Lund, and her team discovered that specialized lymphatic cells within these lymph nodes produce a molecule called IL-33, which acts as an immune alarm signal. In both patients and mouse models, tumors appear to disrupt this protective alarm system.
Dr. Lane will investigate how IL-33 helps maintain lymph node integrity and anti-tumor immunity and determine how tumors suppress this pathway to promote metastasis. Using advanced imaging and immune profiling technologies, he will identify the cells and signals involved in this process.
The findings could reveal entirely new strategies for strengthening immune surveillance in lymph nodes and preventing the spread of melanoma and potentially other solid tumors.
Mentor
Amanda Lund, PhD
Projects and Grants
Uncovering the role of lymphatic stromal IL-33 in the tumor draining lymph node
