Neural regulation of anti-cancer immunity
- Research Opportunity
- PhD students, Masters by Research, Honours students
- Department / Centre
- Microbiology and Immunology
- Location
- Doherty Institute
| Primary Supervisor | Number | Webpage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Associate Professor Scott Mueller | smue@unimelb.edu.au | (03) 8344 9044 | Personal web page |
| Co-supervisor | Number | Webpage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Sapna Devi | sapna.devi@unimelb.edu.au | 8344 5715 |
Summary This project will investigate sympathetic innervation of tumours and how neural signals impact immune responses in the tumour microenvironment, in order to design new therapies to treat cancer.
Project Details
Tissues are innervated by fibres of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which release SNS neurotransmitters during stress. SNS neurotransmitters bind to adrenoceptors (ARs) on multiple cell types to induce genomic and functional changes. Studies have shown that immunity is compromised during times of stress raising the possibility that SNS signalling impairs immune cell functions. However, little is known about the mechanisms of SNS neurotransmitter signalling on the cells of the immune system. We have discovered that adrenergic receptor signalling inhibits the migration of immune cells within tissues, and impacts protective immunity against infections and cancer. This project will investigate sympathetic innervation of tumours and how neural signals impact immune responses in the tumour microenvironment, in order to design new therapies to treat cancer.
Faculty Research Themes
School Research Themes
Research Opportunities
PhD students, Masters by Research, Honours students
Students who are interested in joining this project will need to consider their elegibility as well as other requirements before contacting the supervisor of this research
Key Contact
For further information about this research, please contact a supervisor.
Department / Centre
Research Group / Unit / Centre
Mueller laboratory: Visualising the immune system in action
Research Node
Doherty InstituteMDHS Research library
Explore by researcher, school, project or topic.