Nalini Kolar Srinivas

PhD

Postdoc

2D and 3D cell culture systems Advanced DNA/RNA isolation agarose gel electrophoresis Bulk RNA-seq cell based assays DNA Sequencing Droplet Digital PCR PCR/qPCR Spatial Transciptome

Peer-reviewed publication(s) Conference Poster(s) Conference Talks(s) Funding

Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare but highly aggressive skin cancer in which only some patients respond well to immunotherapy. In our study, we investigated the role of tertiary lymphoid structures, which are small, organized immune cell clusters that form directly inside tumors. By analyzing tumor samples, we found that tumors containing these structures showed stronger immune activity and allowed important immune cells, particularly naïve and central memory T cells, to enter the tumor tissue. These cells are critical for recognizing cancer and mounting effective and long lasting immune responses. Our results suggest that tertiary lymphoid structures act as local immune hubs that help organize and sustain anti-tumor immunity in Merkel cell carcinoma. Because of this, their presence may help explain why some patients respond better to immunotherapy and could serve as a useful marker to predict treatment response in the future.