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The Coukos Laboratory | Email Us
Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute
421 Curie Boulevard
1331 BRB II/III
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6160
Ph: (215) 573-4897 or (215) 746-5137
Fax: (215) 573-7627
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Research
The Coukos Laboratory studies the mechanisms regulating the trafficking and regulation of immune cell function within the tumor and the mechanisms shaping the extent to which the presence of the tumors spawns an immune system response.
For example, the finding that the level of T-cells within ovarian carcinoma tumors predicts improved clinical outcomes raises the question of why some patients mount an antitumor immune response, while others do not. In addition, the finding suggests that it might be possible to induce potent antitumor immune response in all patients.
Dendritic cells are regarded as the immune cell population that holds the key to the control of a powerful immune response.The Coukos laboratory is exploring the application of dendritic cell-based vaccines as well as the use of recombinant oncolytic or replication-incompetent viruses encoding cytokines for intraperitoneal in situ vaccination of ovarian carcinoma.
Furthermore, the laboratory is exploring the role of VEGF (Vascular endothelial growth factor) in immune regulation. We have generated the first entirely syngeneic model of ovarian carcinoma in the mouse, where we are currently investigating the effect of VEGF on dendritic cell function and T cell tumor infiltration. This work has uncovered novel interactions between immune surveillance and tumor angiogenesis mechanisms.
Finally, the laboratory is involved in investigating basic mechinisms of immune-vascular interactions and angiogenesis in the context of ovarian carcinoma. The laboratory is actively seeking therapeutic approaches to suppress angiogenisis while boosting anti-tumor immunity.
The Coukos Laboratory is part of Translational Research, a core unit of the The Leonard and Madlyn Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute at the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Created in December 1997 with a $100 million pledge from the Abramson Family Foundation, the Cancer Research Institute integrates research, education, and comprehensive patient care at the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania. For more information, see the Translational Research Mission Statement. |
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