{"id":{"repo_id":"buffalo","oai_identifier":"oai:ubir.buffalo.edu:10477/86681"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/buffalo/oai:ubir.buffalo.edu:10477/86681","repository":{"repo_id":"buffalo","name":"Buffalo","base_url":"https://ubir.buffalo.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Characterization of Mechanisms Contributing to Therapeutic Resistance in Head and Neck Cancer","abstract":"M.S.","abstract_html":"M.S.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Tu, Andrew; 0000-0002-7982-172X"],"institution":"State University of New York at Buffalo","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Magner, William","Roswell Park"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-02-21T21:36:24Z","date_published":"2025-02-21T21:36:24Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:05:34Z","subjects":["cellular biology","molecular biology"],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.","Copyright retained by author."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10477/86681","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Magner, William","Roswell Park"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Tu, Andrew; 0000-0002-7982-172X"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-02-21T21:36:24Z","2020"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["State University of New York at Buffalo"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Text","Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["cellular biology","molecular biology"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.","Copyright retained by author."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10477/86681"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["M.S.","Purpose: Head and neck cancer contributes to around 5% of all cancers in the United States annually. Immunotherapy has emerged as a new mode of treatment for this disease with improved outcomes compared to the standard of care. Despite this, immunotherapy has a response rate of only around 15%. Prior work has shown positive staining for CD4 and CD25 in oral cancer patients which suggest the presence of regulatory T cells (Tregs). Verification of the presence of Tregs in the tumor microenvironment through FoxP3 immunohistochemistry could suggest that interference with Treg recruitment to the TME may improve immunotherapy responses in oral cancer. Additionally, the presence of CXCR4 on lymphocytes in the tumor microenvironment may suggest that recruitment of Tregs could be targeted via CXCR4 inhibition. Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate FoxP3 expression on samples (n=270) varying from normal tissue to cancer. FoxP3 expression was then correlated with the Treg markers CD4 and CD25, as well as disease progression and patient outcomes. CXCR4 and PD-L1 expression and cisplatin sensitivity were characterized in two mouse models to assess their relevance for use as an animal model in ongoing oral cancer studies. Results: FoxP3 expression was significantly correlated with CD4, CD25, disease progression, and overall survival confirming the hypothesis that Tregs are present and suggesting that they impact tumor responses. Two murine oral cancer cell lines (MOC1 and MOC2) had similarly low levels of CXCR4 expression which correspond to their similar levels of cisplatin sensitivity. MOC2 had higher PD-L1 expression than MOC1. Conclusion: Treg accumulation in the tumor microenvironment correlates with disease progression and is negatively associated with survival. Addressing the recruitment of Treg to the TME may offer an approach to improve anti-tumor immune responses.","**To request an accessible version of the file(s) associated with this item, contact library@buffalo.edu. Please include the item's persistent URL [http://hdl.handle.net/. . .] in your request.**"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Characterization of Mechanisms Contributing to Therapeutic Resistance in Head and Neck Cancer"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Magner, William","Roswell Park"],"dc:creator":["Tu, Andrew; 0000-0002-7982-172X"],"dc:date":["2025-02-21T21:36:24Z","2020"],"dc:description":["M.S.","Purpose: Head and neck cancer contributes to around 5% of all cancers in the United States annually. Immunotherapy has emerged as a new mode of treatment for this disease with improved outcomes compared to the standard of care. Despite this, immunotherapy has a response rate of only around 15%. Prior work has shown positive staining for CD4 and CD25 in oral cancer patients which suggest the presence of regulatory T cells (Tregs). Verification of the presence of Tregs in the tumor microenvironment through FoxP3 immunohistochemistry could suggest that interference with Treg recruitment to the TME may improve immunotherapy responses in oral cancer. Additionally, the presence of CXCR4 on lymphocytes in the tumor microenvironment may suggest that recruitment of Tregs could be targeted via CXCR4 inhibition. Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate FoxP3 expression on samples (n=270) varying from normal tissue to cancer. FoxP3 expression was then correlated with the Treg markers CD4 and CD25, as well as disease progression and patient outcomes. CXCR4 and PD-L1 expression and cisplatin sensitivity were characterized in two mouse models to assess their relevance for use as an animal model in ongoing oral cancer studies. Results: FoxP3 expression was significantly correlated with CD4, CD25, disease progression, and overall survival confirming the hypothesis that Tregs are present and suggesting that they impact tumor responses. Two murine oral cancer cell lines (MOC1 and MOC2) had similarly low levels of CXCR4 expression which correspond to their similar levels of cisplatin sensitivity. MOC2 had higher PD-L1 expression than MOC1. Conclusion: Treg accumulation in the tumor microenvironment correlates with disease progression and is negatively associated with survival. Addressing the recruitment of Treg to the TME may offer an approach to improve anti-tumor immune responses.","**To request an accessible version of the file(s) associated with this item, contact library@buffalo.edu. Please include the item's persistent URL [http://hdl.handle.net/. . .] in your request.**"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["http://hdl.handle.net/10477/86681"],"dc:language":["eng"],"dc:publisher":["State University of New York at Buffalo"],"dc:rights":["Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.","Copyright retained by author."],"dc:subject":["cellular biology","molecular biology"],"dc:title":["Characterization of Mechanisms Contributing to Therapeutic Resistance in Head and Neck Cancer"],"dc:type":["Text","Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:05:34Z"}