I am currently working on creating a new treatment option for high-risk neuroblastoma, a cancer that kills approximately 50% of child patients within 5 years. I combine smart drug delivery, nanoparticles that can wake up the immune cells in the tumor site, with a drug that can change the playing field. This drug, used for the second part of treatment, works to decrease the influence tumor cells have on immune cells so that the immune system can better recognize tumor cells that were previously hiding in plain sight. Together, these two parts work to equip the immune system to fight off cancer. This research aims to provide a new, less toxic option for children fighting high-risk neuroblastoma.

• Miranda D.I.

• PhD Student at UMass Amherst

Breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women. Even after successful treatment, many patients see relapse years or even decades later. One of the reasons this happens is disseminated tumor cells or DTCs. These are cancer cells that have spread throughout the body. At the time of diagnosis, between 27% and 38% of patients have these DTCs in their bone marrow. These DTCs can remain dormant, essentially hibernating to avoid being killed off during treatment. When the conditions become favorable again, they can reactivate and grow into a brand-new tumor.

Tumors and areas of metastasis create unique environments to support their rapid growth. I am attempting to activate cells in these environments with targeted nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems. The goal is to draw immune cells to both the original tumor and metastatic sites, helping the immune system build a broad "catalog" of all the different types of cancer cells, so that if/when the DTCs wake back up, the immune system is capable of recognizing and neutralizing them without intervention.

• Ronnie D.

• Research Tech at UMass Amherst