Nathaniel West

The immune system employs an astonishingly complex system of cell-to-cell communication that coordinates host protection against pathogens and cancer, while limiting inappropriate activities that could cause inflammatory pathology or autoimmunity. Cytokines are particularly critical for the proper functioning of this system and thus constitute an exciting area for biomedical research and drug development.

With the ultimate goal of developing new approaches for cancer immunotherapy, my team explores (a) the basic biology of cytokines in anti-tumor immunity, (b) how to inhibit cytokines that restrain protective anti-tumor immune responses, and (c) how to augment beneficial cytokine pathways to drive enhanced anti-tumor immunity. We believe that by integrating such strategies with other immunotherapy approaches (such as immune checkpoint blockade or cellular therapies), we can unlock the full tumor-fighting potential of the immune system and bring significant benefit to patients with a wide range of cancers.

In addition to cytokine biology, my group also studies the immunology of colorectal cancer, an increasingly prevalent disease and leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Unlike some other cancer types, most colorectal cancers respond poorly to conventional immunotherapy—we seek to understand the mechanisms that underly treatment resistance and identify novel strategies to bring the benefit of cancer immunotherapy to this large and challenging patient population.

• University of Victoria and BC Cancer Agency, PhD – 2012
• University of Victoria, B.Sc in Biology and Microbiology – 2007

• Governor General’s Gold Medal (top PhD dissertation), University of Victoria – 2013
• CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship, Cancer Research Institute – 2012 - 2015