We are collecting blood (and ascitic fluid) of ovarian cancer patients to study the presence of immature myeloid populations as compared to healthy donor blood. We have identified two candidate populations that will be tested for the ability to suppress T cells.

Blood was collected from >10 melanoma patients and the myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC) phenotype and function were compared with healthy donor derived cells. This blood was used to investigate phenotypic markers that can be used to further characterize MDSC, focusing on molecules that are related to their suppressive function.

This is blood from patients that undergo surgery due to clinical situations that do not affect the immune system (most frequently malformations). We have attempted to identify and characterize CD8T lymphocyte populations in humans. We compared the distribution of phenotypically distinct cell sets using seven color staining in the blood, lymph nodes and spleen. We found that the addition of other markers allow to subdivide N, CM, TEM and TEMRA populations in additional cell types.