T cell therapies have shown enormous promise in cancer treatment, but they often fail against solid tumors. This is in part due to exhaustion: T cells gradually lose their ability to persist, multiply, and continue attacking cancer, limiting long-term effectiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Rashidian’s research centers on a newly discovered signaling system inside T cells that appears to control whether these immune cells remain strong and long-lasting or become exhausted. Early findings suggest this signaling hub coordinates multiple pathways that help T cells maintain stem-like qualities, survive longer, and sustain potent anti-tumor activity. This project will define how the signaling hub functions and why it enables T cells to resist exhaustion even within the hostile environment of solid tumors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By understanding how durable T cell responses are naturally maintained, this work could guide the development of next-generation immunotherapies capable of producing longer-lasting anti-cancer responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Much like the original discovery of immune checkpoints transformed cancer therapy, this newly identified signaling pathway may open an entirely new therapeutic direction for overcoming T cell exhaustion and improving outcomes for patients with solid tumors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Discovery of a signaling hub that unlocks durable, exhaustion-resistant anti-tumor T-cell immunity<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" T cell therapies have shown enormous promise in cancer treatment, but they often fail against solid tumors. This is in part due to exhaustion: T cells gradually lose their ability to persist, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":39309,"template":"","tax_cancer_type":[710],"tax_grant_type":[482],"tax_award_year":[881],"tax_institutions":[495],"tax_location_states":[490],"class_list":["post-39093","cri_scientists","type-cri_scientists","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"scientist_subhead":"Lloyd J. Old STAR","quote":"T cell exhaustion remains a major challenge. If we can understand how to potentially inhibit T cell exhaustion, or reverse that exhaustion, it can unlock a lot of potential for developing next-generation immunotherapeutics.","scientist_last_name":"Rashidian","show_on_landing":true,"scientist_publish_until":"20310612"},"yoast_head":"\n