LabNarrative concept · prepared as an independent design proposal
Gao LaboratoryTumour ecosystem · Immune landscape · Metastasis
All research

Research programme 01

Immune-excluded metastatic niches

We map spatially organised niches that protect metastatic cells from immune attack, including immune-excluded states in bone.
Central question

Which cellular neighbourhoods create immune exclusion, and can those niches be dismantled therapeutically?

Metastatic lesions are organised into local cellular neighbourhoods with distinct immune access, stromal composition and survival signals. The laboratory develops unbiased niche-labelling and spatial approaches to identify the cells and interactions that define these protected regions.

The goal is to translate spatial maps into actionable ecosystem vulnerabilities rather than treating each cell population in isolation.

Next programmeMyeloid and neutrophil circuits in resistance