Function of soluble CD83 in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia
2007
Research Project Grant Round
Approved for funding
This Project has been funded by the Bone Marrow Cancer Research Trust
Amount funded $14,378.00 over a 12 month period
Photo shows Judy McKenzie in the laboratory
Researcher 1 - Dr Judith McKenzie
University of Otago, Christchurch
Researcher 2 - Dr Barry Hock
University of Otago, Christchurch
Researcher 3 - Dr Liam Fernyhough
university of Otago, Christchurch
Total Amount Funded: $14,378.00
Funded by: Bone Marrow Cancer Research Trust
Specific Objective(s)/Aims for this research.
Soluble CD83 is a potent inhibitor of immune responses, and animal studies have shown that its presence can increase tumour progression. Although levels of sCD83 are elevated in the blood of CLL patients, it has not been established whether CLL cells can release sCD83 and, if they do, whether it represents a mechanism by which they can escape immune surveillance. Understanding how CLL cells escape the immune system is critical for both the development of new therapies, and improving existing approaches such as allogeneic transplantation.
The aim of this research is to (i) Identify the optimal stimuli for inducing sCD83 release by CLL cells (ii) Determine the functional significance of sCD83 release by CLL cells (iii) Determine the exact level of CD83 expression by CLL cells before and after activation
