Megan K. Ruhland, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow University of California, San Francisco

An important aspect of the immune system’s protective power is its ability to tell the difference between “self” and “non-self” cells. However, in cancer this line between normal, healthy cells and tumor cells becomes blurred and sometimes allows tumors to escape immune recognition. Therefore, Dr. Megan Ruhland aims to advance our understanding of this process so that we can develop ways to address it. Specifically, her team has developed a model that will allow her to track immune cells and their engagements during normal tissue homeostasis as well as during the development of lung cancer. This knowledge could then provide new targets for immunotherapy that enable the immune system to reject tumors in the same way it eliminates invaders like viruses or bacteria.

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