Recent advances in sequencing technologies and the ensuing deluge of genomic information related to cancer have accelerated the convergence of discovery science with clinical medicine. The general objective of our research is to predict potential functional transcriptional variants and to validate how these variants produce neoepitopes in human cancers to promote the research of precision medicine. (Zhou et al, Cancer Discov 2023, doi: 10.1158/2159-8290; Sci Adv 2021, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abb0737).
This project aims to identify and validate functional neoepitopes in human cancers through the integration of transcriptomic and multi-omics data, providing potential targets for precision cancer immunotherapy. We will utilize raw transcriptional data and complementary datasets-including gene expression, exon mutation, alternative splicing, and metabolomic data-from the UKbiobank. The study seeks to address key questions: how do transcriptional regulatory events drive neoepitope generation, and which neoepitopes possess true immunogenicity and biological relevance? Predicted candidates will be experimentally validated, and their associations with clinical and molecular phenotypes will be explored. This research will deepen our understanding of the interplay between transcriptional regulation and tumor immunity, and contribute to the development of next-generation cancer immunotherapies.
