Benjamin Yana Winer, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Area of Research: All Cancers Immune cells possess an incredible ability to migrate throughout the body to seek out and destroy threats, including cancer. Immune cells decide how, when, and where to move by interpreting environmental signals via complexes known as G protein couple receptor (GPCRs). However, we have little detailed knowledge of how immune cells make sense of the many disparate chemical cues, and closing this information gap could have implications for immune-related diseases as well as cancer. Therefore, Dr. Winer aims to understand the molecular logic that various immune cells use to interpret the multitude of chemical signals that can influence migratory activity. In particular, he is developing and utilizing novel platforms that will enable him to define the principles that govern how different immune cells to interpret these conflicting signals. Ultimately, the knowledge gained from this project could aid the development of immunotherapy strategies designed to re-engineer dysfunctional immune cells and make them more effective against cancer. Projects and Grants Discerning how immune cells integrate guidance signals during migration within tissues Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center | All Cancers | 2020 | Orion D. Weiner, PhD, Jason G. Cyster, PhD, and Morgan Huse, PhD
