Home Department: Undeclared
Mentor: Erinn Rankin (Radiation Oncology and Obstetrics & Gynecology)

"Microphage EPOR Signaling Encourages an Immunosuppressive Microenvironment and Tumor Progression in Ovarian Cancer"

High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortalities in women in the US. Tissue-resident macrophages are a critical component of the HGSOC microenvironment however the mechanisms governing this immunosuppression remain unknown. Recent studies identified erythropoietin (EPO)/EPOR signaling as a key pathway driving cancer immunosuppression and tumor progression. HGSOC patients have high EPO concentration in ascites and tumor-associated macrophages express EPOR. Additionally, genetic deletion of EPOR on macrophages significantly decreased metastatic tumor burden. This study seeks to 1) investigate how macrophage EPOR signaling inhibits anti-tumor T-cell responses and 2) determine the therapeutic potential of targeting macrophage-EPOR.