Our immune system produces antibodies that recognize specific proteins on the surface of cells. This principle is used to treat blood cancers such as lymphoma and multiple myeloma: therapeutic antibodies recognize a target protein on cancer cells and mark them for destruction. These treatments are effective, yet many patients do not respond or eventually relapse. Attention has largely focused on how much of the target protein a cancer cell carries. This thesis indicates that the organization of the target, meaning how the proteins are distributed across the cell surface, also influences how effectively antibodies work. Following this idea, we developed structures that hold multiple antibodies in close proximity, which improved cancer cell killing in the laboratory. In addition, we identified a novel function for CD20, one of the key targets in cancer immunotherapy: it contributes to proper communication between B and T cells.
Andrea Abel Gutiérrez (1998) obtained her master's degree in advanced Immunology at the University of Barcelona in 2021. In September 2021 she began her PhD research within the Medical BioSciences department (formerly Tumor Immunology) at Radboudumc, supervised by Prof. Dr. Annemiek van Spriel and Dr. Laia Querol Cano. She currently works as a Scientific Research Coordinator at the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine in Hamburg.