An applied immunology laboratory for cancer patients and patients with autoimmune diseases.
Explore Our TestsIn a healthy state, the immune response has several cellular components. Some of them activate the immune system through various signaling pathways, while another cell population "inactivates" the same system as a protective mechanism. This balance is compromised in patients who have received mutagens, or who have health conditions that "mimic" normal or self tissues and cells.
The tumor microenvironment is highly heterogeneous and can, on its own, inactivate the immune system: through physical barriers, the release of anti-inflammatory cytokines, the presence of proteins such as PD-L1, or the presence of Treg lymphocytes or macrophages.
Each study gives us a deeper understanding of the patient's immune system, so immunotherapy can be guided in a more personalized way for each individual patient.
Pharmacogenetics studies how genes affect the metabolism of, or response to, certain drugs.
Pharmacological immunotherapy based on monoclonal drugs is designed to act directly on genetic targets. In other words, the drug's effect depends directly on whether or not a specific mutation is present. For example, cetuximab, used for colon cancer, is precisely indicated for patients with native KRAS (non-mutated, wild type). If a patient with mutated KRAS receives this drug, they will not respond to it, and there is also a risk of unnecessary side effects.
