https://medicine.dal.ca/departments/department-sites/microbiology/people/our-faculty/jeanette-boudreau.htmlhttps://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jeanette_Boudreau

Natural Killer (NK) cells are components of the immune system which are important in all elements of cancer, from prevention to treatment. Alone, or in combination with other immunotherapies, NK cells support tumor control.Our research focuses on understanding how NK cells can best be employed for cancer treatment. We are interested in the basic characterization, biology, development and plasticity of NK cell populations, and the role(s) that immunogenetics play in determining effector function.

Dendritic cells (DCs) initiate and polarize adaptive (specific) immune responses. This property has made DCs an attractive platform for building vaccines, including vaccines against cancer. In addition to priming antigen-specific immune responses, DCs interact with and activate Natural Killer (NK) cells. NK cells derive from the lymphocyte lineage and respond to inflammatory signals, loss of homeostatic phenotype, and stress molecules; NK cells are important in the control of caner.My PhD research, under the supervision of Dr. Yonghong Wan, focused on understanding how DC-based vaccines could be prepared to best engage NK cells for anticancer activity. Our findings revealed that the method used to stimulate DCs was important for that activation of tumoricidal NK cells, especially in cancer-bearing hosts. In addition to my own research, my PhD program provided excellent learning opportunities toward my development as a researcher: -Through collaborations with other researchers from Dr. Wan's laboratory and other labs from McMaster I gained expertise in vaccine development, T and B cell biology and oncolytic virology. -I took small, graduate-level courses in immunology, vaccine development and grant-writing. My comprehensive examination involved conceiving, writing and defending a grant proposal. These activities fostered independent study, collaboration, discussion and critical thinking. -I learned important skills in laboratory management, including maintenance, safety and training of new personnel.-I worked as a teaching assistant for undergraduate immunology, anatomy and physiology. As head TA for immunology, I gained experience designing and evaluating tests and exercises for students and managed other TAs.

I discovered my interest in research and immunology during a high school co-op placement in Dr. Laurie Hoffman-Goetz’s laboratory, and continued to pursue this passion as an undergraduate volunteer student, an honors thesis student, and recipient of three NSERC undergraduate student research awards (USRA). We investigated the interaction between estrogen, progesterone and corticosterone on the immunological response in intestinal lymphocytes, spleen and submandibular lymph nodes to acute stress and exercise training.