Keynote presentation 5: Exploiting the CXCR3-CXCL10 Axis and GAG Interactions to Reprogram the Tumor Microenvironment for Improved Immunotherapy
Tracks
Track 4
Track 5
| Wednesday, July 15, 2026 |
| 4:45 PM - 5:30 PM |
Overview
Prof Tracy Handel
Details
Despite its potential, immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has favorable clinical outcomes for only ~10-25% of patients. A major factor limiting the efficacy of ICBs (and other standard treatments) is the immune suppressive nature of the tumor microenvironment (TME) which is often sparse in antitumoral effector T and NK cells and enriched in pro-tumoral suppressive cells (Tregs, MDSCs, M2 macrophages). Chemokines play a key role in orchestrating the balance between cytotoxicity and immune suppression as they not only drive the migration of chemokine receptor-bearing cells within the TME, but also the polarization and activation of cells with different pro-tumoral or antitumoral functions. The chemokine receptor CXCR3 is expressed on effector T and NK cells, which are essential for the responsiveness to ICB and cancer elimination in general. CXCL9 and 10 are required for the recruitment and activation of these CXCR3-expressing cells, but their expression is often low in the TME. In this presentation, the anti-tumoral efficacy of CXCL10 will be demonstrated along with its mechanism of action. In summary: CXCL10 does more than promote T and NK cell recruitment - it mobilizes a network of immune and non-immune cells that support a multimodal program of antitumoral activities.
Speaker
Prof Tracy Handel
University of California, San Diego
Exploiting the CXCR3-CXCL10 Axis and GAG Interactions to Reprogram the Tumor Microenvironment for Improved Immunotherapy
Biography
Dr. Tracy Handel obtained her PhD in Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology, conducted postdoctoral studies at Dupont Merck Pharmaceuticals, began her academic career at the University of California Berkeley where she obtained tenure, and is currently a Distinguished Professor and former Division Chair in the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of San Diego. She is internationally recognized as an expert in chemokine structure and function, including interactions of chemokines with chemokine receptors, chemokine receptor/effector complexes and glycosaminoglycans, and the mechanisms of atypical scavenging and dual function chemokine receptors that have both G protein-dependent signaling and G protein-independent scavenging functions. More recently she has pursued more translational research directions to exploit the chemokine system for improved immunotherapy. She is on the Scientific Advisory Board of several companies and has received several awards including the National Science Young Investigator Award, the Pew Scholars Award and most recently was elected Fellow of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.
