Ros Kemp

University of Otago

My research focuses  on colorectal cancer and gut-specific immune responses in health and disease. We are currently looking at T cell and myeloid cell subsets in people with colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease to improve diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. Our particular focus is the tumour immune microenvironment and the interactions between immune cells and tumour associated cells. Our research goal is real-time change in clinical practice for the diagnosis and treatment of disease.

Immunology in Clinical Research: Maximising patient data

The immune response to cancer is complex and involves a network of cells and molecules exquisitely sensitive to change. Our research uses new technologies to study the immune system as a whole and to monitor changes in the immune response within the tumour itself, and over time, in the blood. We have developed tools to both analyse and visualise changes in the cells and molecules in the immune response in people with colorectal cancer. We have identifed new subsets of immune cells that may play a vital role in tumour progression or rejection. We have validated the prognosstic effect of these cells by measuring frequency and location of cells in tumour sections with associated clinical outcome data. Our approach allows both discovery and clinical relevance to be studied together, without compromising the complexity of immunology.