Project Summary
P03 aims to identify oncogenic drivers of the protein CMTM6 – a stabilizer of PD-L1 surface expression – in leukaemia cells. Preliminary data show a link between oncogenic signalling, CMTM6 and PD-L1 in AML cells. P03 will decipher the downstream signalling events that promote CMTM6 and PD‑L1 expression in leukaemia cells. The effect of CMTM6 deficiency in leukaemia cells on T cell activation, metabolism and exhaustion and leukaemia immune escape will be studied in vitro and in immunocompetent murine AML models. P03 will clarify how oncogenic upregulation of the CMTM6/PD‑L1 axis contributes to leukaemia immune escape and whether CMTM6 blockade/deletion can enhance anti-leukaemia immune responses.
