Cancer and dendritic cells: Eduardo Bonavita awarded funding from Worldwide Cancer Research

Immunotherapies are revolutionizing the treatment of solid tumors, significantly increasing survival rates and reducing recurrence. These therapies work by lifting the brakes—known as immune checkpoints—on T lymphocytes, allowing them to attack and eliminate cancer cells more effectively. However, responses to immunotherapies vary among patients. Understanding why and developing new therapeutic strategies is one of the most pressing goals of cancer research.

A new project led by Eduardo Bonavita – Junior Group Leader at Humanitas, where he leads the Cellular and Molecular Oncoimmunology Lab, and Assistant Professor at Humanitas University – will focus on studying conventional dendritic cells, which act upstream of the lymphocyte response. Their dysfunction may underlie the failure of immunotherapies: these cells are crucial for alerting and instructing lymphocytes of a threat; without them, T cells—regardless of immune checkpoint activation—cannot effectively fight tumors.

“Studying dendritic cells is a complex challenge from both a scientific and technological perspective because they are a rare population and difficult to cultivate in vitro. However, we know they play an essential role in priming tumor-specific adaptive response. From this perspective, current immunotherapies targeting the ‘immune brakes’ of T cells cannot be effective if dendritic cell function is compromised upstream,” explains Eduardo Bonavita. “This is why we aim to determine whether these cells function properly in patients resistant to immunotherapy and to develop targeted strategies for their reactivation.”

This ambitious project has secured funding from Worldwide Cancer Research, a UK-based organization that supports cancer studies on a global scale. “At Worldwide Cancer Research, we fund groundbreaking projects that could pave the way for new cancer treatments. We are delighted to support Eduardo Bonavita’s exciting and innovative work, which seeks to enhance the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy,” says Nicola Hawkes, head of the funding program. “It is thanks to fundamental research like this that we can move closer to a future where no life is lost to cancer.”

Using cutting-edge technologies—including innovative preclinical models, multi-omics analyses, and advanced cytometry techniques capable of isolating and analyzing dendritic cells—the team led by Bonavita will seek to understand the mechanisms regulating dendritic cell activation within the tumor microenvironment. Particular attention will be given to the transcription factor Bhlhe40, which may play a key role in orchestrating the anti-tumor immune response.

The ultimate goal is to restore and enhance dendritic cell activity against cancer.