#  Teaching the Immune System to Fight Cancer with Biomaterials  

 



    ![ooh](/sites/g/files/omnuum986/files/styles/hwp_5_4__480x385/public/2025-05/Graphical%20Abstract%20NLG_0.png?h=aac8f183&itok=Ky26V2Eh) 

 



 

####  calendar\_today Date and Time 

 **June 3, 2025** 

 06:00PM - 07:00PM EDT 

####  pin\_drop Location 

 **RCCHU Conference Room**  

26 Trowbridge St. 

 

 

 [ You can follow the event here arrow\_circle\_right ](https://zoom.us/j/97997703329?pwd=Lom4LitB4JSXYIFbct2BuRy8NHSK9w.1) 

 



 

In recent years, cancer treatment has been transformed by immunotherapy, which helps the body’s own immune system recognize and attack cancer. This includes CAR-T cell therapy, where immune cells are reprogrammed to target tumors; checkpoint inhibitors, which lift the brakes on immune cells to unleash an anti-tumor response; and cancer vaccines, which train the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells. These breakthroughs are now becoming a clinical reality. However, their efficacy can be limited by the tumor’s physical and chemical barriers, which prevent immune cells from reaching cancer cells and carrying out their anti-tumor functions, as well as by the risk that overactivation of the immune system may lead to serious side effects.

To better control the immune response against cancer, biomaterials can act as hubs that attract and train immune cells inside the body, release signals that boost immune activity, and deliver drugs that help weaken tumors. These biomaterials, which can have different chemical compositions but must be compatible with the human body, can be tailored to meet specific clinical needs depending on the type of cancer and the individual patient.

This seminar will explore the vast potential of biomaterials in the field of immunoengineering and highlight the challenges of directing the immune system: where to go, what to do, and when to act.

 ![Nuria](/sites/g/files/omnuum986/files/2025-05/Graphical%20Abstract%20NLG.png)

 

**Speaker: Nuria LaFuente-Gomez** *(Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA)*

**Sponsors:** RCCHU; Harvard University; Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University; Wyss Institute for biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University.



 

 



 

 

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