Research Projects
Cold-Hot Interplay Between Immune Cells and Stromal Cells in Tumour Microenvironment

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), highly associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), is endemic in Hong Kong. Patients with NPC are all uniformly treated with high-dose radiation therapy, with additional (concurrent chemoradiation) or adjunct chemotherapy for advanced diseases. Unfortunately, about 30% of patients still relapse within 5 years despite such radical intensive treatment. There are many studies on new drugs targeting against various molecular targets of NPC. Unfortunately, none of these drugs have proven themselves efficacious for NPC. 

The complex interplay and increasing diversity among cells that co-evolve with the tumour microenvironment (TME), suggesting that the ecosystem acquires a niche for cancer cells to modulate the immune landscape towards suppression. Therefore, understand the immunological changes in the NPC TME would be an important step for clinical translational studies.

Professor DLW Kwong, Department of Clinical Oncology

Biography
ORCID
dlwkwong@hku.hk

For more information or to express interest for this project, please email the supervisor or the specified contact point in the project description.  Interested candidates are advised to enclose with your email:

1. your CV,
2. a brief description of your research interest and experience, and
3. two reference letters (not required for HKUMed UG students seeking MRes[Med]/URIS projects).

Information on the research programme, funding support and admission documentations could be referenced online at the Research Postgraduate Admissions website. General admission enquiries should be directed to rpgmed@hku.hk.

HKUMed MBBS students interested in the Master of Research in Medicine (MRes[Med]) programme may visit the programme website for more information.  

HKUMed UG students interested in the Undergraduate Research Internship Scheme (URIS) may visit the scheme’s website for more information.