Head and neck Experimental Advancement Laboratory

The laboratory of Dr. Wise-Draper, Takiar and ElGamal is dedicated to characterizing mechanisms of immune evasion and therapy resistance in head and neck cancer.  Dr. Wise-Draper is a medical oncologist focused on experimental therapeutics for the treatment of head and neck cancer and other solid tumor malignancies. Dr. Takiar is a radiation oncologist with a clinical focus on treating patients with head and neck cancer. Dr. ElGamal is an experimental pharmacologist focused on rational development and evaluation of novel therapeutic strategies, and dissecting mechanisms of immune dysfunction at the transcriptional and (epi)genetic levels. As such, the HEAL research group uses head and neck cancer as a model system to better understand how tumors may respond to treatment including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation therapy, and the mechanisms by which tumors evade immune surveillance and recur despite aggressive treatment regimens. The laboratory also participates in the translational elements of clinical trials to better understand the basic biology behind the outcomes being observed in the clinic.

At HEAL, the overall goal of the laboratory is to better understand how tumor cells evade or resist cell death by various anti-cancer therapies. If these mechanisms were better understood, then potentially clinical treatment could be better tailored to each patient.

One focus of the laboratory is on identifying mechanisms of adaptive resistance to radiation therapy. For this project, we use various cellular and mouse models to try and replicate the human host. Select therapies (targeted and/or immune-based) are then tested alone and in combination with ionizing radiation (conventional XRT or proton therapy) in a strategic manner to identify new combinatory treatments that may be more effective than those currently available.

Another focus of the laboratory is on elucidating the mechanisms underlying resistance to immunotherapy, including NK and T-cell dysfunction, and the potential role and interplay of immune cells within the tumor microenvironment. Currently, immunotherapy is indicated for patients in the recurrent or metastatic setting for head and neck cancer, and although those who respond to treatment have terrific outcomes, the majority of patients do not respond. The goals of this project are to identify patients most likely to respond to treatment and to understand how to turn a non-responder into a responder to potentially design subsequent human trials that will improve immunotherapy effectiveness.