Durability of memory T cell responses in melanoma

The project aims to understand how the immune response to primary melanoma affects recurrence and overall survival. It hypothesizes that TRM-IFNG cells are established at primary melanoma diagnosis and are recalled/expanded to mediate immunotherapy responses. This will be tested using melanoma mouse models and prospectively collected patient specimens to determine how TRM-IFNG formed in skin and tumor mediate responses to immunotherapy in the metastatic setting. A preclinical model will utilize topical immunotherapy to increase the TRM repertoire in primary and metastatic melanomas, setting the stage for future clinical trials to induce durable cancer-fighting TRM cells.