The overarching goal of our research program is to investigate the molecular mechanisms that control lymphocyte trafficking across blood vessel walls which are important checkpoints in the development of a fine-tuned adaptive immune response. These studies are particularly relevant to cancer immunotherapy since it is now recognized that the extent of T cell infiltration at tumor sites is a critical determinant of patient responses to immune-based therapies as well as standard chemotherapy and radiation.

Using live-imaging microscopy we have definitively shown that poor baseline trafficking of cytotoxic effector T cells within tumor lesions represents a significant bottleneck to antitumor immunity and immunotherapy. One informative avenue of research has focused on the thermal element of fever as a model of acute inflammation. Our studies reveal that fever-range thermal stress or high-temperature ablative therapy has a profound influence on the delivery of blood-borne lymphocytes to lymphoid organs and tumor tissues.