Named Grant:

Supported in Partnership by the Fried Family Memorial Fund and In Memory of Leah Susskind

About the Investigator:

Dr. Asaf Madi completed Ph.D. studies at Tel Aviv University in computational immunology in collaboration with the Weizmann Institute of Science, working on B cell and T cell repertoires. He then continued to do a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School and Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Boston, USA where he mainly focused on the study of T-cell differentiation and cancer immunology. Following his postdoctoral fellowship, Dr. Madi returned to Tel Aviv University, where he is now an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology within the School of Medicine, leading an exceptionally talented group of scientists that carry out high-quality research that significantly contributes to the development of novel anti-cancer therapeutic strategies and advances scientific knowledge.

About the Research:

Can we activate our immune system to fight cancer? What immune cells are important and what prevents them from exercising their anti-tumor functions? Can we trigger these specific immune cells to destroy cancer cells and at the same time provide an immunological memory to prevent recurrence of the disease?

The main interest of Dr. Madi’s lab is studying gene circuits of immune cells involving differentiation, activation and regulation. He focuses on exploring these cells and circuits mainly in the context of the tumor pathology following stimulation, immunotherapies or cell-cell interactions.

Adoptive cell transfer (ACT) using tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) represents a promising personalized immunotherapy for melanoma. However, challenges in predicting responses and overcoming resistance limit its potential. This study seeks to address these barriers by identifying predictive biomarkers, understanding resistance mechanisms, and optimizing TIL composition and expansion protocols.

By advancing the understanding of TIL dynamics and resistance, this research aims to develop more effective and durable ACT therapies for melanoma. Enhancing TIL potency and addressing exhaustion could transform cancer immunotherapy, providing new hope for patients resistant to existing treatments.