Shawn Demehri

Our laboratory investigates the role of the immune system in modulating the early stages of cancer development in order to harness its anti-tumor properties to combat cancer. To date, several cancer immunotherapeutic drugs have been developed with proven efficacy; however, these drugs are used mainly against late stage cancers to augment the anti-tumor immune response that has already formed against cancer cells. Our research is focused on identifying the immune mechanisms that drive an immune activation sufficient to prevent cancer formation from pre-cancerous lesions. This approach raises a great opportunity to discover novel immune pathways that can be leveraged in cancer therapy and prevention.

To pursue this goal, our laboratory studies the role of alarmins, damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs)/stress signals, commensal viruses, and carcinogen and aging associated factors in regulating early cancer development.