Furthering Scientific Research in Multiple Myeloma

I spent my summer in the Pichiorri Lab at City of Hope, studying cellular and molecular immunology and performing translational research in multiple myeloma, a rare hematological malignancy. City of Hope is a cancer and diabetes treatment research center in Duarte, California, with a mission to make hope a reality for patients and to transform scientific research into new drugs and treatments.​

My project was a natural killer (NK) cell mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) in vitro experiment. ADCC is a known immune response that provokes target cell lysis. Once activated through Fc receptors by antibodies bound to target cells, NK cells can lyse without priming. HVEM is an important immune checkpoint that regulates T cell function and is also expressed by multiple myeloma cells. I tested the ability of three different antibodies to initiate NK cell mediated ADCC of MM.1S cells. I used Daratumumab, a known clinical grade anti- cancer antibody medication (positive control), antiHVEM17-intact (test antibody), and antiHVEM17-null (negative control). My results supported previous research and showed a higher percentage of killed multiple myeloma cells treated with Dara and H17i compared to H17n.​

Throughout the summer I also learned how to maintain cancer cell cultures, perform blood cell separation techniques, and execute flow cytometry. This experience furthered my interest in a future career in research and cancer immunotherapy. I also thoroughly enjoyed shadowing my mentor, attending lab meetings, and learning from different scientists in the field.​

Internship funded by the Peter Buck Internship Fund​.