Molecular Analysis of Cancer Immunoresistance

The long-term goal of our research is to develop a novel treatment for immune resistant cancers. Our research includes characterization of the mechanism of complement dependent cytotoxicity and of the basis for elevated resistance of cancer cells to cell death, and design of novel reagents that sensitize cancer cells to cell death. Research methods used include analyses of cell growth and death and mitochondrial activity, western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunoprecipitation, confocal fluorescence microscopy, Fluorescence-activated Cell Sorting (FACS), peptide analysis by mass spectrometry, electon microscopy, and analysis of cancer growth in animal models.