Profile

Dr. Tullia Bruno, PhD

University of Pittsburgh

Contact Details

University of Pittsburgh

Volunteer Bio  

I have dedicated the last 10 years of my scientific training to becoming a strong tumor immunologist with an emphasis in studying human tumors. In my current position at the University of Pittsburgh, I direct the translational research in Dr. Dario Vignali’s cancer immunology and immunotherapy group at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.  I have utilized all of my research training to establish a strong translational research program, which will allow us to migrate many of the Vignali lab findings from murine to human tumors. I have the drive and motivation to be an effective mentor for students and fellows that join the lab; I currently mentor twelve individuals in the lab (1 postdoc, 2 clinical fellows, 2 technicians, and 7 students).  I offer the hands-on, day-to-day mentoring that is required for all of these individuals to be successful scientists in training. We are specifically interested in translating much of the murine T cell work (in particular Tregs) to ahuman system, however, my independent research program on tumor infiltrating B cells (TIL-Bs) is also rapidly expanding (more detail below).  


Understanding TIL-Bs in human tumors:
We are utilizing a multi-pronged approach to understanding TIL-Bs in the tumor microenvironment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), head and neck cancer squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), and ovarian cancer. In particular, our approach includes (but is not limited to) single cell RNAseq ofall immune cells in the tumor microenvironment, high level flow cytometry using a Cytek Aurora, multispectral immunofluoresence (via Vectra and Codex) and small scale in vitro immune assays. In particular,we are interested in how TIL-Bs impact T cells and overall organization within tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) in the tumor microenvironment, and how this interaction could be biologically different depending on the tumor type. Further, our overall hypothesis is that TIL-Bs provide an anti-tumor advantage to cancer patients when contained within organized (germinal center containing) TLS by presenting tumor antigens and influencing overall T cell phenotype and function.