Begonya Comin-Anduix

Our group research focus is on cancer immunotherapy, and the use of radioligands for theranostics. I am particularly interested in how the immune system interacts with radioligands used to treat some types of cancers. Radioligands are made by coupling radioactive particles to molecules able to bind/recognize tumor antigen molecules, like antibodies or immune T cell receptor fractions. These theranostic agents are designed to play a dual function: a highly specific non-invasive imaging molecule and a therapeutic agent targeting tumor cells. However, the deep characterization of how these new therapies affect the immunobiology inside the tumors, as well as all the other immune organs, in addition to the resistance mechanisms used by the tumor are open fields we are exploring in pre-clinical and clinical settings.

I am also interested in optimization, validation, and application of immune monitoring methods at the single-cell level in a translational environment. Hence, my research also focuses on optimizing immunological approaches to enhance the T cell response to metastatic melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, sarcoma and, now, prostate through immune monitoring. An important aspect of this research is to establish objective and quantitative assays that monitor the activation status of cancer specific T, NK and dendritic cells. This, in turn, may identify parameters that predict treatment outcome or to better understand the tumor microenvironment.

My third interest is the optimization and the production of transgenic cellular products under current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) for immmunotherapy in cancer clinical trials. I have collaborated in the production of transgenic dendritic cells for renal cell carcinomas, the optimization and manufacturing of transgenic stem cells and T cells for adoptive cell transfer for sarcomas.