Professor Joanne Lysaght

Prof. Joanne Lysaght graduated with B.Sc.(Hons) in Science from Maynooth University with maths and biology. She then went on to complete a PhD in 2005, in the Department of Biochemistry and Immunology in Trinity College Dublin, in the area of Tumour Immunology. Following completion of her PhD, she worked in the Cancer Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory based in St. James's Hospital and then took up a post-doctoral position in the Department of Haematology and Oncology, TCD, where she worked on a novel family of chemotherapeutic drugs for the treatment of childhood leukemias. Prof. Lysaght then moved to the Department of Surgery, TCD/St. James's Hospital where her research focused on the role of the adaptive immune system in the link between obesity and gastrointestinal cancer. In 2011 she Lysaght was appointed Ussher Assistant Professor in Molecular Oncology, in 2015 Assistant Professor, in 2017 Associate Professor and Professor in Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy in 2023, where she continues her research in cancer immunology and immunotherapy. Prof. Lysaght's research group focus on a number of different areas around the central theme of cancer immunology and immunotherapy. Currently, a major research focus is investigating the impact and scheduling of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and targeting immunometabolism to enhance anti-tumour immunity when used in combination with immunotherapies, namely immune checkpoint inhibitors. The majority of research in the cancer immunology and immunotherapy group is focused on upper gastrointestinal cancer, particularly oesophageal cancer but also gastric and pancreatic cancer. Research into how the regulation and trafficking of lymphocytes can be targeted to reduced adipose tissue and liver-associated inflammation is also a research interest within the group. Other areas of interest include identifying novel immunotherapeutic targets in the pre-malignant setting such as Barrett's Oesophagus and pancreatic cysts, which can be used to slow or prevent progression to malignancy. Another research interest is the area of obesity and cancer, and how this impacts anti-tumour immunity. Prof. Lysaght's group also investigates the role of adaptive immunity and obesity in the debilitating cancer-associated wasting disease cachexia and sarcopenia.

  Anticancer therapies   BARRETTS ESOPHAGUS   CACHEXIA   Cancer Biology   CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY   CANCER DEVELOPMENT   CANCER PATIENTS   CANCER RISK   Cancer Therapy   Cancer/Carcinogenesis   CD4+ T CELLS   CHEMO-RADIOTHERAPY   COMBINATION IMMUNOTHERAPY   Design and evaluation of novel anti-cancer therapies   ESOPHAGEAL CANCER   GASTRIC CANCER   Gastrointestinal cancer   HUMAN ESOPHAGEAL CANCER   HUMAN T-CELLS   Immune system   Immunology, Immunotherapy   Immunotherapies for Cancer   NK CELLS   OBESITY   Radiotherapy, Biological response modifiers and chemoprevention   Regulatory T cells   Sarcopenia   Tumour immunology and immunotherapy   TUMOUR IMMUNOTHERAPY

My translational research group focuses on the central theme of cancer immunology and immunotherapy, an area that continues to revolutionise treatment for cancer patients worldwide. Cancer immunotherapy has offered cures and extended the lives of countless cancer patients, where no options existed before, but this field is still in its relative infancy. The majority of research in my group is focused on dismal upper gastrointestinal cancers, particularly obesity-associated oesophageal cancer but also gastric, pancreatic and ovarian cancer. A key research direction of my research is understanding how the physical features of the tumour microenvironment, immunometabolism and the cancer treatment itself can affect immune cells, namely T cells, and their functions in cancer patients. This work has been reported in 85 peer-reviewed publications in international journals. Understanding the hurdles faced by T cells in cancer patients will lead to identification of novel and more effective treatment combinations, including immune checkpoint inhibitors with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It will help identify biomarkers of response and treatment resistance which can be used in the clinical management of these patients. Research into the regulation and chemotaxis (movement) of lymphocytes to reduce pathological inflammation and enhance anti-tumour immunity is another important research theme within my group. My group utilize a range of in vitro and ex vivo molecular and cellular analytical techniques and I have established productive multi-disciplinary collaborations with academic, clinical and industrial partners, both nationally and internationally. To conduct my research, I have received funding from Science Foundation Ireland, Health Research Board, the Irish Cancer Society, Breakthrough Cancer Research and the Irish Research Council.