SBME Research Seminar - Dr. Hannah Carter
Immune Checkpoint Blockade (ICB) has revolutionized cancer treatment, however mechanisms determining patient response remain poorly understood. We used machine learning to predict ICB response from germline and somatic biomarkers and studied feature usage by the learned model to uncover putative mechanisms driving superior outcomes. Patients with higher T follicular helper infiltrates were robust to defects in the class-I Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC-I). Further investigation uncovered different ICB responses in MHC-I versus MHC-II neoantigen reliant tumors across patients. Despite similar response rates, MHC-II reliant responses were associated with significantly longer durable clinical benefit (Discovery: Median OS=63.6 vs. 34.5 months P=0.0074; Validation: Median OS=37.5 vs. 33.1 months, P=0.040). Characteristics of the tumor immune microenvironment reflected MHC neoantigen reliance, and analysis of immune checkpoints revealed LAG3 as a potential target in MHC-II but not MHC-I reliant responses. This study highlights the value of interpretable machine learning models in elucidating the biological basis of therapy responses.
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Inclusive Teaching: What is it and why does it matter?
August 25, 2021 @ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm PDT

This Centre for Teaching, Learning, and Technology session is for anyone who teaches at UBC who is looking for an introduction to inclusive teaching practices. Be introduced to the literature underpinning inclusive teaching and discuss why inclusive practices in the classroom are important, including considerations for the online environment. This session will explore diversity at UBC, including who lives and studies here. You will have an opportunity to learn, discuss, and share inclusive teaching practices. You will leave the workshop with a range of practices and resources to continue exploring.
In this workshop, you will:
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- Define diversity, equity and inclusion in UBC’s context.
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- Be introduced to the literature underpinning inclusive teaching and why it’s important.
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- Explore diversity at UBC and who works and studies here
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- Have an opportunity to reciprocally learn, discuss and share inclusive teaching practices, including considerations for the online environment.
For more details and register for this session, visit the CTLT event page.