Peter Wang, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital
Project Description: “Deciphering how cancer induced nerve injury affects immune responses in PDAC”
This project aims to investigate how nerve invasion by cancer cells, a process known as perineural invasion (PNI), affects immune system function in pancreatic cancer. Dr. Wang proposes to: 1) Determine how PDAC cells influence nerves and glia using 3D nerve invasion cocultures; 2) Examine how cancer-modulated nerves affects anti-tumor immune responses; 3) Test whether targeting nerve degeneration improves anti-tumor immunity. Ultimately, the goal is to find new combination strategies to enhance immune responses in PDAC, potentially improving treatment outcomes.
Dr. Peter Wang’s Bio: Dr. Wang completed his undergraduate studies in Biology at Cornell University. He received his PhD in Immunology from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. For his PhD research, he investigated the transcriptional identity and function of macrophages and Schwann cells in peripheral nerve homeostasis and injury under the mentorship of Dr. Gwendalyn Randolph and Dr. Jeffrey Milbrandt. He is currently performing his postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Dr. William Hwang in the Center for Systems Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he is studying the interplay between cancer, nerves, and the immune system in pancreatic cancer.