Investigating the role of ILC2s in regulating blood vessels in melanoma – ILC2-ANG

Melanoma is one of the most aggressive forms of skin cancer, and its incidence continues to rise worldwide. Although cancer immunotherapy has transformed oncology by harnessing the body’s immune system to fight cancer, many patients still do not respond to treatment or eventually develop resistance. Identifying novel immune mechanisms involved in tumor control therefore remains a major challenge.

This project focuses on group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s), a recently discovered population of immune cells that play important roles in tissue repair and maintenance of tissue homeostasis. While ILC2s are particularly abundant in the skin, their function in cancer, especially in melanoma, remains poorly understood.

Previous findings indicate that activated ILC2s may suppress melanoma growth by promoting anti-tumor immune responses and recruiting eosinophils, immune cells capable of killing cancer cells. Emerging evidence also suggests that ILC2s may influence the tumor vasculature. This is particularly relevant because tumor growth depends on the formation and remodeling of blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients to cancer cells.

The project aims to determine how ILC2s regulate blood vessels in melanoma and how these changes shape the tumor microenvironment and the activity of other immune cells. A better understanding of these mechanisms may facilitate the identification of new therapeutic targets and support the development of innovative treatment strategies for melanoma and other solid tumors.