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Poster Session 4, 2:15 PM - 3:00 PM: Campus Center Auditorium [A75]

Presenter: Sonali Gauri Agarwal

Faculty Sponsor: Prabhani Atukorale

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Biomedical Engineering

ABSTRACT

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Within tumors exist cancer stem cells (CSCs) capable of differentiation and tumor initiation. A defining characteristic of CSCs is stemness, which is a state of unlimited differential potential and adaptation. Various immune responses can impact CSCs, which can transition between stem-like and differentiated states, complicating immunotherapies. Recent advances in cancer immunotherapies have explored ways to activate the immune system to combat tumors. Innate immune agonists that activate pathways such as Toll-like receptors (TLR) and Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) show promise in activating antitumor immunity. To improve delivery and reduce side effects, lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) can be engineered to deliver immune agonists directly to the tumor sites. Co-delivering dual immune agonists (TLR4 and STING) using LNPs has been shown to increase type I interferon responses, leading to improved antigen presentation and activation of T cells. Panc-02 CSCs will be cultured using serum-free media in vitro. Analysis of the CSCs will be done using flow cytometry, where the cells are stained with fluorescent antibodies and an Aldered assay, which measures aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH1) to show the stemness potential. This helps assess stemness after the nanoparticle treatment. The efficacy of treatments of CSCs will be measured through fluorescent markers CD24 and CD44, as well as ALDH1 expression. This study can offer a new approach to targeting cancer stem cells to revert stemness and improve antitumor immunity, potentially offering a new therapy for more resistant cancers.