Home Department: Biology
Mentor: Anusha Kalbasi (Radiation Oncology)

"Investigating IL-7 and IL-15 Delivery Systems for T cell Immunotherapy"

The immune system relies on cytokines to control how immune cells grow and respond to disease. In cancer immunotherapy, cytokines such as IL-7 and IL-15 are being investigated as therapeutic additions because they enhance immune cell survival and function. However, when delivered systemically, these cytokines can trigger widespread immune activation and toxic side effects, limiting their clinical use. Advances in cytokine engineering now allow these molecules to be delivered in more controlled, cell-restricted ways, offering the potential to improve safety and effectiveness. This project focuses on understanding how different cytokine delivery strategies influence immune cell signaling, an essential step toward designing safer and more precise cancer immunotherapies.