About us

The Byrne Lab aims to understand the underlying immunobiology regulating therapeutic sensitivity – or resistance – in pancreatic cancer. Our research focuses on bridging innate and adaptive immune responses to drive tumor rejection using preclinical models of cancer. These findings are then translated to the clinical setting, where we aim to identify biological correlates of response in patients.

Our approach leverages genetically engineered mouse models of spontaneous pancreatic cancer that recapitulate key features of human disease. We utilize several immune cell assays including flow cytometry, microscopy, cell culture, and adoptive cell transfers to interrogate the mechanisms regulating the immune response against the tumor and identify novel therapeutic targets for further investigation.

The Byrne Lab is part of the Cell, Developmental, and Cancer Biology Department and the Knight Cancer Institute, as well as the Brenden-Colson Center for Pancreatic Care, resulting in a community of basic and translational researchers for our lab to collaborate with and learn from.