Lottie Bottomley

Patient outcomes in oesophageal cancer are highly variable, and personalisation of treatment selection is currently limited. Our lab has previously identified that infiltration of certain immune cells, from the myeloid lineage, into the tumour is predictive of response to immunotherapy in oesophageal cancer. My project aims to develop the understanding of myeloid cell fate in this context, by exploring the spatial definition of immune cell subsets in patients treated with immune activating therapies and standard treatments. This will involve developing live tissue patient avatars from oesophageal adenocarcinoma biopsies to enable characterisation of immune activity over time. 

How could your research ultimately benefit patients?

Towards clinical application, I aim to define immune cell activation signatures for direct clinical testing to inform treatment decisions at an individual patient level, based on predicted response to immunotherapy.

About Lottie 

I completed a BSc in Medical Biosciences followed by an MSc in Immunology at Imperial College London, before working as a Research Assistant in the Department of Immunology and Inflammation at Imperial. As an avid immunologist, I have always been fascinated by the context-dependent capacity of our immune system to kill tumour cells and the potential to harness this for therapeutic benefit. My role as an RA included patient-facing responsibilities which gave me a real passion for translational research that directly benefits patients. This led me to the DPhil Cancer Science programme at Oxford, where I am excited to use novel techniques to drive immuno-oncological research. Like many people cancer has affected close family members, so being involved in this translational research gives me great pride and motivation to improve patient prognosis.