Nabina Pun

Research Interests

My research focuses on understanding how the tumour microenvironment shapes anti-tumour immunity, with a particular interest in how innate immune cells regulate tumour progression and responses to immunotherapy in colorectal cancer. In the Withers Lab, I use physiologically relevant preclinical models to investigate how tissue-specific immune interactions influence cancer progression, with the long-term goal of identifying new strategies to improve immunotherapy for patients with colorectal cancer.

Background

I am a Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Professor David Withers' laboratory at the Oxford Centre for Immuno-Oncology. Before joining Oxford, I completed my PhD in Immunology at the University of Manchester as part of the CRUK RadNet programme. My doctoral research investigated how chemokines and the endothelial glycocalyx regulate immune responses following radiotherapy-induced intestinal injury. In particular, I explored how CCR2-dependent monocyte recruitment protects against radiation-induced intestinal toxicity by supporting tissue repair and maintaining intestinal barrier integrity, providing new insights into the beneficial roles of innate immune cells during tissue injury. This work sparked my broader interest in understanding how tissue microenvironments shape immune cell function, an area that continues to underpin my current research in cancer immunology.

Prior to my PhD, I completed an MSc in Immunology at Imperial College London and a BSc in Biomedical Sciences at Queen Mary University of London. Throughout my research career, I have developed expertise in in vivo models, multiparameter flow cytometry, advanced imaging and translational immunology.