Dr. Tullia Bruno is an Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh. She discusses how B cells and tertiary lymphoid structures shape anti-tumor immunity within solid tumors, challenging the traditional T cell–centric view of cancer immunology. She highlights how these immune niches influence responses to immunotherapy, the importance of spatial organization within the tumor microenvironment, and emerging strategies to therapeutically induce tertiary lymphoid structures to improve cancer treatment.

Feeding Boosts T Cell Immunity – Postprandial metabolism enhances T cell fitness and improves effector and CAR-T cell function through chylomicron-driven metabolic reprogramming.

Chemokines Control T Cell Priming – CCR7 signaling limits CD8+ T cell interactions with dendritic cells to preserve effective effector and memory responses.

Helminths Boost Offspring Immunity – Maternal helminth-driven microbiome changes protect offspring from respiratory viruses through the metabolite indole-3-propionic acid.

Enhancing CAR T Persistence – CAR-modified stem-cell memory T cells show improved persistence, expansion, and anti-tumor responses compared to standard CAR T cells.

Image courtesy of Dr. Tullia Bruno.

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