Kristina Lundberg

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy has transformed cancer treatment in recent years. For example, “checkpoint inhibitors”, antibody drugs that help T cells attack cancer cells have shown remarkable success for some patients. However, many patients still do not respond, highlighting the need for more effective treatment strategies. By understanding how the immune system works in more detail, we can learn how to modulate it and develop new drugs for this purpose. 

To address this, we created a detailed, single‑cell atlas of immune cells in bladder tumors. This atlas allowed us to map individual immune cell types and pinpoint where they are situated within the tumor. We discovered specific clusters of interacting immune cells and gained new insight into how they communicate and influence anti‑tumor immunity. These findings revealed a previously unknown immune‑cell target in bladder tumors, and we have now developed antibodies against this target. These antibodies are currently being tested in our laboratory.

A core part of this work relies on human tumor explant models, which preserve the natural structure and complexity of patient‑derived tumors. Unlike traditional cancer cell cultures, these models maintain both stromal and immune cells, allowing us to test new drug candidates, including our own antibodies, in a setting that closely resembles human disease. Early results in bladder cancer, and in other cancer types, are highly promising.

Together, these efforts are paving the way for new treatment approaches. By advancing this research, we aim to improve therapy options and outcomes for patients with bladder cancer and other cancers in the future.