Sylvain Nguyen

Research Interests

Although therapies aiming to boost the immune system (immunotherapies) have rapidly become one of the most successful cancer treatments, most patients fail to benefit from those therapies, underlining the lack of understanding of mechanisms regulating our immune system. In this regard, my current research focuses on determining how epigenetic factors govern the functionality of our immune system. Ultimately, I hope my research could pave the way toward new druggable epigenetic targets that can improve immunotherapies and, consecutively, patient quality of life.

Background

Following my MSc in Medical Biology, I obtained a Ph.D. in the Urology Department at the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV, Switzerland). The CHUV is a world-renowned research hub that works closely with academic institutions, enabling scientists and clinicians to cooperate in developing cancer treatments. In this regard, my thesis was based on a translational approach and consisted of 1) characterising neoantigen-reactive CD8⁺ T cells and 2) determining the role of gamma delta T cells in the pathophysiology of patients with bladder cancer.