Cancer and the Host: Tumour Immunology – Cancer Research UK conference
By Florentia Mousoullou, Cancer Sciences PhD student and Science Communication Ambassador
On Tuesday 7th of May, Cancer Research UK (CRUK) hosted the ‘Cancer and the Host: Tumour Immunology conference’ at the Francis Crick Institute in London.
Since 2015, CRUK has supported cancer immunology research through the Cancer Immunology Project Award. This initiative is geared towards fostering cross-disciplinary collaborations and attracting world-leading immunologists to contribute their expertise to the fight against cancer.
The ‘Cancer and the Host: Tumour Immunology conference’ aimed to build upon success in this area and recognise the role of the immune system in understanding and treating cancer across all areas of cancer research.
Keynote speakers
The event featured a variety of presentations from numerous scientists, including some notable talks from:
- Andrew Sewell (University of Cardiff School of Medicine): What do T cells see?
- Audrey Gerard (University of Oxford): IFNγ in tumour immunity – From friend to foe
- Steven Pollard (University of Edinburgh): New strategies to target the core neurodevelopmental program underpinning glioblastoma
- Sean Lim (University of Southampton): Optimizing immunostimulatory antibodies for cancer treatment
- Jessica Strid (Imperial College London): Pivotal roles for type 2 immunity in epithelial immune surveillance
- Evangelos Giampazolias (Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute): Decoding host-microbiome interactions that regulate cancer immunity – killing cancer with a gut instinct
After each talk, the audience had the opportunity to engage in Q&A sessions. These interactive segments allowed attendees to delve deeper into the topics discussed, pose insightful questions, and gain further clarity on complex issues.
A highlight of the afternoon session was an outstanding keynote talk by Dr Evangelos Giampazolias, the group leader of the Cancer Immuno-surveillance lab at the CRUK Manchester Institute, on ‘Decoding host-microbiome interactions that regulate cancer immunity – killing cancer with a gut instinct’.
Evangelos shared some ground-breaking new results about microbiomes that have just been published in a research paper entitled ‘Vitamin D Regulates Microbiome-Dependent Cancer Immunity’. His talk captivated everyone and generated a lot of excitement in the room.
Presentation by Dr Evangelos Giampazolias, group leader of the Cancer Immuno-surveillance lab at the CRUK Manchester Institute
Presentation by Charles Earnshaw, PhD student, CRUK Manchester Institute Cancer Inflammation and Immunity lab
Future Leaders Lightning Talks
In this session, each speaker was allocated a concise five-minute slot to present their research. The time constraint not only kept the audience engaged but also showcased the ability of researchers to effectively communicate complex ideas succinctly. This dynamic presentation style fostered a lively and fast-paced environment, allowing for a diverse range of topics to be covered in a short period, and sparking numerous discussions and questions from the attendees.
Among the various presentations, the standout was by Charles Earnshaw, a PhD student from the CRUK Manchester Institute Cancer Inflammation and Immunity lab, who delivered an outstanding talk on ‘Glucocorticoids stimulate T cell-dependent melanoma growth control’.
Poster Award and Networking
The conference concluded with Professor Awen Gallimore from The University of Cardiff, presenting the best poster award to Maria Koufaki, one of our institute’s PhD students, at the Cancer Inflammation and Immunity lab. Maria’s research focuses on functionally defining the role of CCR7+ dendritic cells in anti-tumour immunity using new genetically engineered mouse models.
Finally, the event wrapped up with a drinks and poster session. This was the perfect chance to network with fellow researchers and scientists and discuss research findings that were raised throughout the day.
Prof. Awen Gallimore awards best poster to Maria Koufaki, CRUK MI PhD student
Attendees networking at the Cancer and the Host conference
I was thrilled to discuss my work on developing new mouse models and in vitro approaches to study immune cell activation in tumours. In particular, my PhD focuses on an enigmatic dendritic cell state that is consistently observed across cancer types in both mouse and human, and I presented my latest findings unravelling its unique functional properties.
Maria Koufaki
CRUK Manchester Institute PhD student
Concluding remarks
The conference was both engaging and inspiring and brought together experts from across the field of immunology to share knowledge and understanding.
Attending the conference as a PhD student highlighted the numerous reasons why such events are essential for our academic and professional growth. The experience underscored the importance of staying updated with cutting-edge research and expanding our professional network. I will definitely be submitting an abstract to the next conference, as it is a fantastic opportunity to showcase my research, receive constructive feedback, and engage with others in my field.
For new PhD students considering attending conferences, here are some key pieces of advice based on my experience:
- Plan ahead: Research the conferences in your field and identify those that align best with your research. Look at the agenda and key speakers.
- Network actively: Don’t be shy about approaching other attendees. I was initially a bit reserved but soon realised that conferences are excellent opportunities to make connections that could lead to future collaborations or even job opportunities.
- Stay in touch: After the conference, follow up with the people you met. Connect with them on LinkedIn or send a quick email to maintain the valuable connections.
If you are unsure about which events are available, here’s what worked for me:
- Ask around: I found that talking to my peers provided great recommendations on relevant conferences.
- Join professional societies: Becoming a member of professional societies in my field gave me access to information about their conferences and events, which was incredibly helpful.
- Check university resources: I also discovered that The University of Manchester’s Doctoral Academic, and academic departments, often have plenty of information on upcoming events.
This event reinforced my understanding of how crucial it is for PhD students to actively participate in these gatherings to further our knowledge, enhance our research, and contribute meaningfully to our scientific community.
