Cancer Immunology Lab

The crucial role of immunology in cancer research, as well as the advances in the understanding of tumor immunobiology highlight the need to focus on cancer immunology and Immunotherapy at Shiraz Institute for Cancer Research (ICR). Cancer Immunology research projects were the main line of investigations once ICR was established in 1998. The work group was then extended and physically centralized in an independent laboratory in January 2006 following the extension of ICR physical space.
Cancer Immunology & Immunotherapy research group investigates the molecular and cellular aspects of immune system in cancer patients. Equipped with cell culture facilities as well as cell- and molecular-analyzers (including Flow cytometer and DNA sequencer), the research group is currently targeted both basic and clinical aspects of the cells and molecules involved in cancer immunity. In collaboration with the Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the group also aims to translate the knowledge of basic immunology into clinical setting.

The main goals of the projects undertaken are:

Ø  Immune cell therapy in cancer patients: Focus on autologous NK cell, CAR-NK cell and TILS therapies.

Ø  Regulatory T and helper T cells as well as memory response in cancer: new concepts and therapeutic applications.

Ø  Investigation of the immune check point markers in patients with cancers.

Ø  Assessment of In vitro anti-tumoral activities as well as immune effects of anticancer loaded nano/micro-particles and newly designed therapeutic agents.

Ø  Molecular analysis of the immune-related genes in patients with cancers.

Articles

1.            Faghih Z, Erfani N, Haghshenas MR, Safaei A, Talei AR, Ghaderi A. Immune profiles of CD4+ lymphocyte subsets in breast cancer tumor draining lymph nodes. Immunology letters. 2014;158(1-2):57-65.

2.            Haghshenas MR, Khademi B, Ashraf MJ, Ghaderi A, Erfani N. Helper and cytotoxic T-cell subsets (Th1, Th2, Tc1, and Tc2) in benign and malignant salivary gland tumors. Oral diseases. 2016;22(6):566-72.

3.            Vahidi Y, Faghih Z, Talei AR, Doroudchi M, Ghaderi A. Memory CD4(+) T cell subsets in tumor draining lymph nodes of breast cancer patients: A focus on T stem cell memory cells. Cellular oncology (Dordrecht). 2018;41(1):1-11.

4.            Faghih Z, Deihimi S, Talei A, Ghaderi A, Erfani N. Analysis of T cell receptor repertoire based on Vbeta chain in patients with breast cancer. Cancer biomarkers : section A of Disease markers. 2018;22(4):733-45.

5.            Haghshenas MR, Dabbaghmanesh MH, Miri A, Ghaderi A, Erfani N. Association of PDCD1 gene markers with susceptibility to thyroid cancer. Journal of endocrinological investigation. 2017;40(5):481-6.

6.            Fathi F, Faghih Z, Khademi B, Kayedi T, Erfani N, Gahderi A. PD-1 Haplotype Combinations and Susceptibility of Patients to Squamous Cell Carcinomas of Head and Neck. Immunological investigations. 2019;48(1):1-10.

7.            Shahsavani MB, Ahmadi S, Aseman MD, Nabavizadeh SM, Rashidi M, Asadi Z, et al. Anticancer activity assessment of two novel binuclear platinum (II) complexes. Journal of photochemistry and photobiology B, Biology. 2016;161:345-54.

8.            Fereidoonnezhad M, Kaboudin B, Mirzaee T, Babadi Aghakhanpour R, Golbon Haghighi M, Faghih Z, et al. Cyclometalated Platinum (II) Complexes Bearing Bidentate O, O′-Di (alkyl) dithiophosphate Ligands: Photoluminescence and Cytotoxic Properties. Organometallics. 2017;36(9):1707-17.

Cancer immunology & Immunotherapy laboratory is currently directed by Nasrollah Erfani, PhD in collaboration with Zahra Faghih, PhD.