Cancer immunology is an interdisciplinary field of research examining how the immune system regulates the progression and development of cancer, including transformation, tumor microenvironment, tumor antigen discovery, cancer immunoediting, cancer immunosurveillance, interplays between immune system and microbiota that drive homeostasis versus tumorigenesis, natural control of tumors, mechanisms underlying genetic or biochemical defects that lead to cell transformation and tumorigenesis, and perhaps most notably, targeting of the immune system for cancer immunotherapy. Research programs in the Cancer Immunology space span the areas of basic research on the tumor microenvironment to designing and implementing clinical trials at the Cancer Center at Illinois through partnerships with the College of Veterinary Medicine and other human healthcare collaborators.

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