Deciphering the immunopeptidome in SWI/SNF driven cancers

The display of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) bound T-cell antigens is central to anti-tumour immunity and has important therapeutic consequences.

SWI/SNF deficient cancers have been shown to respond to immune checkpoint therapy, implicating the presence of cancer-specific antigens.

We have reported that deficiency of components of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodelling complex leads to DNA damage-induced inflammatory signalling, including the HLA antigen processing pathway components.

Here we propose to investigate the consequences of SWI/SNF deficiency on T-cell antigen presentation, which will be used to guide a rational approach for the selection of combination therapies, as well as to identify neoantigens for designing vaccines and CAR-T based therapies in these cancers.