Yanshu Cai
DPhil, Oxford Centre for Immuno-Oncology
Rotation project 1: Establishing of human lung cancer organoids to study T cell responses to cancer mRNA-LNP vaccines Rotation project 2: Deep exploration of the pre-tumour microenvironment in colorectal polyps
Rotation project 1 aims to understand how antigen-specific CD8 and CD4 T cells are activated and participated in adaptive immune responses within the tumour site. This involves optimising and using a human lung cancer organoid to track the differentiation and kinetics of the adaptive immune response to different mRNA-LNP formulations.
Rotation project 2 focuses on investigating the composition and cellular interactions of the pre-tumour microenvironment in intestinal polyps, aiming to uncover the mechanisms driving pre-cancer development using multi-omic techniques with mathematical analysis.
How could your research ultimately benefit patients?
Leveraging patient-derived lung cancer organoids offers a powerful platform to advance the rational design of effective mRNA–LNP vaccines. Likewise, the long progression window from precursor lesions to malignancy in colorectal cancer provides a unique opportunity to elucidate pre-cancer biology and develop innovative strategies for cancer prevention.
About Yanshu
I hold a BSc in Pharmacology from University College London and an MSc in Integrated Immunology from the University of Oxford. My interest in cancer science began when I joined Dr Isabela Pedroza-Pacheco’s group at the Oxford Centre for Immuno-Oncology for my MSc research project. I have since continued working in the same group as a research assistant for the past two years, focusing on understanding the role of tertiary lymphoid structures and CD4⁺ T follicular helper cells in colorectal cancer using multi-omics approaches.
I am particularly motivated to uncover the mechanisms that drive pre-cancer evolution, with the long-term goal of enabling immunopreventive strategies through the discovery of novel vaccine targets.