Nicole Scheff

Summary

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) causes severe pain and stress, which exceeds the levels seen in other cancers. Beyond sensory/pain signaling, the peripheral nervous system has been identified as a component of the cancer microenvironment and may be involved in modulating tumor progression and tumor-associated immunity. The cancer microenvironment is comprised of stromal cells, glial cells, immune cells, neurons (e.g., motor, sensory, sympathetic) and proliferating tumor cells. The Scheff lab seeks to integrate the neurobiology, cancer biology, and immunology fields to fully appreciate neural-immune-cancer communication. The goal of our research is to understand plasticity in peripheral neurons associated with head and neck cancer and to investigate whether therapy targeted to neurons in the cancer microenvironment can alleviate pain and improve anti-tumor immunity. The lab executes translational research through collection of patient-reported outcomes and clinical specimens as well as implementation of molecular, electrophysiological and behavioral studies in preclinical mouse models.