Every Monday from 1pm – 2pm notable cancer researchers, clinicians, nurses and other experts from around the globe share their insights, research or news on a broad range of topics at the VCCC Alliance Monday Lunch Live forum.

The following area contains all our recordings from 2020. 

Targeting Intratumoral Copper as a Novel Immunotherapy Strategy

Monday Lunch Live

With Dr Orazio Vittorio

12 October 2020

Blocking copper uptake in tumour cells may be a clue to boosting immune system - fighting the deadliest of cancers

The Metal-Targeted Therapy and Immunology Lab at the Children's Cancer Institute NSW has identified a strong connection between copper transporters found in malignant cancer tissue compared with normal tissue (copper transporter 1 CTR-1 and PD-L1). Their cutting-edge research is the first to prove that chelation therapy enhances anti-tumour immune responses and could be repurposed for immune checkpoint inhibition.

Dr Vittorio presents crucial evidence from their research using an FDA-approved copper chelator to increase tumour infiltrating immune cells and improve the survival in a neuroblastoma immunocompetent mouse model.

Dr Orazio Vittorio
University of New South Wales, Children's Cancer Institute

Dr Vittorio is a NHMRC Career Development Fellow and Scientia Senior Lecturer with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of New South Wales. He is head of the Metal-Targeted Therapy and Immunology Lab at the Children's Cancer Institute. Dr Vittorio is cancer biologist with ten years of post-doctoral experience and an emerging international reputation in the development of anti-cancer therapeutics. He consistently publishes research that is highly influential. Dr Vittorio has published more than 84 papers in international journals, six book chapters and four patents.