Judith Agudo, PhD

Judith Agudo, PhD

Researcher

Contact Information

Office Phone Number

617-582-9110

Biography

Judith Agudo, PhD

Dr. Agudo obtained her PhD in Regenerative Medicine at the University Autonomous of Barcelona in Spain. As a Fulbright scholar, she performed her postdoctoral training in immunology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. She joined Dana-Farber Cancer Institute as a Principal Investigator in the Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology in November 2017. There, the Agudo lab explores the interaction between immune cells and cancer stem cells to discover mechanisms that drive resistance to cancer immunotherapy. The Agudo lab is also studying the immune privilege of normal tissue stem cells to understand autoimmunity and tumor initiation and to identify strategies to avoid rejection of stem cell-derived tissues for regenerative medicine. Dr. Agudo has received the Mary Kay Foundation Award, the Susan G. Komen Career Catalyst Award, the Pathway Award from the American Diabetes Association, the Smith Family Foundation Award for Excellence, and the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program Era of Hope. Dr. Agudo is a New York Stem Cell Foundation – Robertson Investigator and a Member of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.

Researcher

Physician

Principal Investigator, Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Associate Professor of Immunology, Harvard Medical School

Recent Awards

  • Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • JDRF Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • Robin Chemers Neustin Postdoctoral Award for Outstanding Women in Science
  • Finalist of the Regeneron Innovation award
  • Mary Kay Foundation Award
  • Susan G. Komen Career Catalyst Award
  • Pathway Award from the American Diabetes Association
  • Smith Family Foundation Award for Excellence
  • Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program Era of Hope

Research

    Identify Mechanisms Controlling Immune Surveillance of Stem Cells and Cancer Stem Cells

    We are interested in elucidating the mechanisms controlling immune privilege of tissue-resident stem cells. Stem cells are crucial for tissue homeostasis and regeneration and, as a consequence, some have evolved mechanisms to cloak during an autoimmune attack. We aim to identify the molecular pathways behind this immune privilege in order to develop therapeutic strategies to protect non-privileged cells during autoimmunity or inflammation.

    Most cancer-related deaths are not due to the primary tumor but the result of metastasis, which often invades vital organs such as lungs, liver or brain. Metastatic growth occurs from specialized cells that escape the primary tumor and disseminate to distal organs where they can re-grow a new full-fledged tumor mass. These cells possess properties that resemble those of tissue stem cells (and sometimes, can even originate from stem cells), and for this reason, they are often referred to as cancer stem cells. Our goal is to elucidate how cancer stem cells interact with the immune system and discover the mechanisms they utilize to escape from immune detection so we can improve immunotherapy to efficiently eliminate them and prevent metastasis. 

    Understanding how stem cells and cancer stem cells escape from adaptive immune responses will allow us to hijack the immune system to either protect precious cells for regenerative medicine treatments or, conversely, enhance susceptibility to T cell killing of otherwise evasive and dangerous cancer stem cells or disseminated cancer cells.

     

    Locations

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    Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

    450 Brookline Avenue Boston, MA 02215
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    Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

    Location Avtar

    Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

    450 Brookline Avenue Boston, MA 02215
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    42.3374, -71.1082

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