Osric Forrest, a current senior biology major at H-SC, is conducting Departmental Honors research on immune responses to melanoma under the guidance of Dr. Kristian Hargadon.  Previous work by Osric and other undergraduates in Dr. Hargadon’s lab has demonstrated that melanoma tumors are capable of suppressing the maturation and activation of dendritic cells, an immune cell type that is critical for the activation and reruitment of other immune cells to tumors.  Osric’s Honors Research project is aimed at understanding how these tumor-altered dendritic cells influence the quality of T cell activation.  As part of his research, Osric is utilizing a number of cutting-edge laboratory techniques that include magentic activated cell sorting, ELISA, and flow cytometry.  Gaining a better understanding of how melanomas influence anti-tumor immune responses will further our understanding of mechanisms of tumor immune escape and may suggest novel approaches for enhancing the immune response to this cancer.

Osric Doing Flow Cytometry at the University of Virginia