Request for Funding

Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2004

Mentor: Christoph Wuelfing
Department: Center for Immunology
Room number: NA7.500
Mail Code: 9093
Phone number: 8-7320
E-mail: Christoph.Wuelfing@UTSouthwestern.edu
Project title: Enhancing activating receptors in natural killer cell-mediated tumor cell lysis

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):

Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):

Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects) basic research

Brief Description of Project:
Natural killer (NK) cells are a central part of the anti-tumor immune response. However, their physiological anti-tumor activity is generally limited preventing their extensive therapeutic use. A key limitation is that signals induced by activating receptor engagement are inefficient. In particular, the induction of NK cell polarization towards the tumor target cell, i.e. the intracellular reorientation of proteins, membranes and vesicles as a central part of the killing of tumor cells, is tentative. We are in the process of developing tools to enhance this polarization to promote anti-tumor cell NK activity. A first tool has already been found to be effective supporting the validity of the strategy.

The summer project will be part of this effort. It will include tool design, establishment and evaluation, not necessarily all on the same tool. Technically this will involve cloning, protein purification, video fluorescence microscopy and assessment of tumor cell lysis. The exact specifics of the project will depend on where we stand scientifically next summer and how much experience a student would bring along.

Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:

Summer 2002 Kenneth Chen Probes for simultaneous 2-color video fluorescence microscopy

Summer 2003 Shail Govani Blocking inhibitory NK cell receptor action
Jason Bang Tools for the T cell receptor/Nck interaction

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