Title of the project: Dendritic cell function and diversity in oropharyngeal carcinoma tumor microenvironment

Purpose and aims: Oropharyngeal carcinoma (OPC) is a type of head and neck squamous cell cancer that is associated with prior infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) (1). Different subpopulations of tumor infiltrating Dendritic cells (DC) have been identified in OPC (2). The presentation of HPV E6 and E7 antigens in OPC makes tumor DC populations a prime target for dendritic cell-based immunotherapy (3). The purpose of this study is to characterize OPC tumor infiltrating DC subpopulations, assess the potential of DC expressed biomarkers for therapeutic strategy, and validate the function of selected biomarkers in vitro tumor environment.

Partners: Alligator Bioscience AB; Prof. Lennart Greiff (ENT clinic, SUS) and Assoc. Prof. Ola Forslund (Medical Microbiology, Lund University)

References:

1. Zamani, M., Grønhøj, C., Jensen, D. et al. The current epidemic of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer: An 18-year Danish population-based study with 2,169 patients. Eur J Cancer (2020). doi.org/10.1016/j.ejca.2020.04.027.

2. Abolhalaj, M., Askmyr, D., Sakellariou, C. et al. Profiling dendritic cell subsets in head and neck squamous cell tonsillar cancer and benign tonsils. Scientific Reports (2018). doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-26193-y.

3. Channir, H., Kiss, K., Rubek, N. et al. Comparison of clinical, radiological and morphological features including the distribution of HPV E6/E7 oncogenes in resection specimens of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Oral Oncol (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oraloncology.2018.01.029.