Tracking immune cell migration in tumour and normal tissues after combined radiation-drug therapy in Kaede mice

Kaede mice are transgenic for a photoactivatable fluorescent protein derived from a stony coral, Trachyphyllia geoffroyi. Following in vivo ultraviolet illumination, cells in the light field irreversibly photoconvert from green to red fluorescence. The candidate will use Kaede mice to track migration and activation/suppression of immune cells (by flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, transcriptional profiling) in irradiated and unirradiated tissues. The effects of additional immunomodulatory therapies, including chemotherapy, DNA damage response (DDR) and immune checkpoint inhibitors, will also be assessed. The candidate will analyse the effects of dose-fractionation regimens, lymph node irradiation or shielding and spatial dose-modulation on immune cell trafficking.