Immune cells depend on reliable metabolic supply chains to function. With aging and after cancer therapy, these supply lines weaken: nutrients become limited, tissue environments change, and immune cells lose the resources they need to mount effective surveillance. This process — often called immunosenescence — creates an ecological imbalance where tumors gain the upper hand.
Our lab investigates how metabolic bottlenecks in aged and therapy-altered tissues drive immune decline, and how these scarcities interact with clonal selection of cancer cells. By mapping which resources become limiting for T cells, NK cells, and other immune players, we aim to uncover strategies to restore effective anti-tumor immunity. Ultimately, our goal is to reprogram the aged immune microenvironment to break resistance to immunotherapy and extend its benefits to more patients.