Colorectal cancer is the second deadliest cancer worldwide, and rates are rising alarmingly among younger adults. Although immunotherapy has transformed treatment for some cancers, more than 90% of colorectal cancer patients do not benefit from currently available immune-based therapies.
Dr. Priestley studies glycans — specialized sugar molecules that coat the surface of cells. Cancer cells often exploit glycans to hide from the immune system and promote tumor growth. During her PhD, she discovered important new mechanisms controlling immune cell migration and received multiple national and international awards for her work.
More recently, Dr. Priestley helped develop a promising new type of immunotherapy called “AbLecs,” engineered molecules that simultaneously target cancer cells and the immunosuppressive glycans that protect them. These therapies have already shown strong anti-cancer activity in laboratory and animal studies.
In this project, she will investigate how glycans contribute to the earliest stages of colorectal cancer development and use this knowledge to design new AbLec therapies specifically for colorectal tumors.
The goal is to create more effective immunotherapies for the large majority of colorectal cancer patients who currently lack good treatment options and to better understand how cancers exploit glycans to evade immune attack.
Mentor
Jessica Stark, PhD
Projects and Grants
Targeting glycans as a new frontier for colorectal cancer immunotherapy
