Inaugural Professorial Lecture –Professor Alexander McLellan

Passengers in blood and skin: natural and engineered immune cells
About Professor Alexander McLellan's Research:
Alex is a synthetic biologist working to improve the immunotherapy of cancer. His research generates potent, cancer-killing white blood cells, termed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. This revolutionary therapy combines the specificity of antibodies with the cell-killing capacity of T cells to create a powerful cancer therapy. To improve the effectiveness of CAR T cell therapy, his laboratory designs gene promoters for newly-discovered genetic elements that improve CAR T cell activity. Another focus is to prevent life-threatening side-effects of CAR T cell therapy through the design of auto-regulatory systems to 'throttle-down' hyperactive CAR T cells. He has been involved in acquiring and managing major equipment for flow cytometry and in vivo bioimaging. Alex greatly values his role in teaching professional and medical courses and in mentoring roles for students throughout their life at Otago.
This lecture will be followed with light refreshments, tea, coffee and juice.