The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) selected Tarun Tyagi, PhD, an associate research scientist, for a 2023 Spring Scientific Abstract Award and Rapid Oral Abstract Presentation.
A member of the Hwa Lab at the Yale Cardiovascular Research Center, Tyagi presented an oral abstract on March 17, 2023, “TLT-1, a platelet released protein, suppresses CD8 T cell based systemic immunity, and exhibits prognostic and therapeutic significance in non-small cell lung cancer,” at the SITC Spring Scientific event, Host Immunity in Immunotherapy Responses: From Discoveries to Precision Oncology.
The study published in January 2023 issue of the Journal of Experimental Medicine, led by Tyagi from the Hwa Lab, uncovered a previously unexplored platelet-T cell crosstalk mechanism which could be important in several human diseases where T cells play a role.
“The results from human and mice studies revealed platelet expressed TLT-1 as a novel immunomodulator which suppresses circulating T cells and promotes tumor progression. T cell surface CD3 epsilon (CD3e) was identified to be the receptor for platelet-released TLT-1. The demonstration of antibody-based inhibition of the extracellular TLT-1 makes it an attractive anti-tumor therapeutic target in NSCLC. Additionally, the study finds correlation of platelet TLT-1 levels with reduced survival of NSCLC patients,” said Tyagi.
Tyagi had earned his PhD in biomedical sciences from the Defense Institute of Physiology & Allied Sciences in Delhi, India as a research fellow of the Indian Council of Medical Research.
The Spring Scientific Abstract Award recognizes high-quality research that significantly advances the efficacy of cancer immunotherapies. The award included complimentary registration and certificate, for the SITC 2023 Spring Scientific held in Denver, Colorado.