Keynote speakers

Programming immunity in vivo: mRNA-based strategies

for cancer and immune rejuvenation 

mRNA therapeutics offer the possibility to transiently reprogram immune function directly in vivo. We recently showed that systemic mRNA delivery can recruit the liver to restore hematopoietic and immune function during aging. Building on this concept, we are developing BARCODE, a modular platform for targeted mRNA delivery to T cells that enables in vivo generation of CAR- and TCR-engineered cells. Together, these approaches illustrate how programmable mRNA therapeutics could transform immune regeneration and cell therapy from ex vivo manufacturing toward repeatable in vivo immune engineering. 

Resolving tumor-associated macrophage programs in breast cancer

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) do not fall into fixed subsets. Their identity is shaped by their origin, their niche and local signals, and is better described as a combination of gene programs. Combining single-cell and spatial transcriptomics in triple-negative breast cancer, we identified macrophage programs shared across patient cohorts. Several of these programs change after treatment. I will discuss how describing macrophages by their programs, rather than by discrete subsets, helps us understand where they are located in the tumor, how they interact with their environment, and how they relate to response to therapy.