Giulia Castello

Cancer vaccines are a promising field as they can specifically target cancer. We previously found that cancer specific synthetic peptide antigens can be used to elicit potent T cell immunity to cancer. We will combine such antigens with potent TLR ligands in a conjugated vaccine; this will strongly activate the T cell immune system, eradicating tumour cells without harming healthy cells. We will test the safety and efficacy of these new vaccines both in vitro and in vivo, study the immunological mechanisms involved in cancer vaccination, and use the obtained data to optimize the most potent conjugates for cancer therapy.