Researcher Spotlight: Phil Lange, PhD

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a human pathogen known to promote numerous lymphomas and lymphoproliferative diseases. Many of these malignancies are highly aggressive and have not been found to benefit from current immunotherapeutic treatments. New therapeutic approaches are needed to improve outcomes for patients with these virus-driven malignancies. Dr. Lange’s LRF research project focuses on a pathway known as adenosinergic signaling, which is exploited by many cancers to evade the immune system. “I am working to understand the mechanisms by which EBV-driven lymphomas hijack this pathway and to identify strategies by which to use this pathway as a therapeutic target for the treatment of these cancers,” he explains.

Dr. Lange is a Postdoctoral Fellow at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center in Chapel Hill, N.C, where he is mentored by Dr. Blossom Damania. He received his PhD from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. His longstanding fascination with the association between viral infection and cancer has driven his passion for this field of research. “I am encouraged by the prospect of immunotherapeutic and adoptive cell transfer approaches for the treatment of lymphomas — particularly for those that are virus-associated, as these often express unique and targetable viral antigens,” he shares. “Furthermore, we are constantly learning more about how viruses such as EBV promote lymphomagenesis. Because of how EBV exploits cellular pathways to promote lymphomagenesis, these discoveries are often broadly applicable to the field of lymphoma research as a whole and will undoubtedly inform new approaches for treating lymphomas.”

In the next 10 years, Dr. Lange hopes to run his own lab as a tenure-track professor within an academic research institution. He is very grateful to be an LRF grantee. “This funding and recognition from LRF will further my career in numerous ways and facilitate meaningful discoveries that may improve the lives and outcomes of lymphoma patients,” he says.