Dr. Brad Nelson

Dr. Brad Nelson is a Professor in the School of Molecular Life Sciences and Director of BC Cancer’s Deeley Research Centre. Academic credentials include a BSc (Honours) from the University of British Columbia and a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.

Harnessing the immune system to fight cancer

Research Interests

Dr. Nelson studies how the immune system recognizes and responds to cancer. His laboratory investigates how tumour-reactive T cells and B cells influence patient survival and control cancer growth. The group uses patient samples, experimental models, genomic analysis, and bioinformatics to identify barriers that prevent effective immune responses. Researchers also examine how interactions between cancer and the immune system change during tumour initiation, progression, metastasis, treatment, and recurrence. A major area of the program uses genetic engineering to create immune cells that recognize tumours more precisely and attack them more effectively. Working with clinical collaborators, the laboratory aims to translate these discoveries into new immunotherapies and clinical trials for cancer patients.