Ignasi Fabregas Parra

Research interests:

I am currently doing my MSc Dissertation In David Withers’ lab, where I am working to understand the different immune cell populations that infiltrate tumours. By studying which immune cells are present and how they behave within the tumour environment, my work helps build a clearer picture of how the immune system responds to cancer.

I will also be doing my DPhil in the CIO in Professor Ignacio Melero’s lab and with the support of  Dr Felipe Gálvez-Cancino, where I will investigate how the immune system can be used to recognise and fight cancer more effectively. Since cancer can avoid or weaken immune responses, the overall goal of my research is to better understand these processes and support the development of improved immunotherapy treatments.

Background

My career so far has been shaped by a growing interest in cancer immunology and in how the immune system influences cancer progression and treatment response. I completed my undergraduate degree in Biomedical Sciences in Barcelona, Spain, where I developed a particular interest in cancer immunology. For my undergraduate dissertation, I worked at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, studying the role of the immune system in cancer progression and immune escape in colorectal cancer. Thanks to a “la Caixa” Postgraduate Fellowship, I am currently completing an MSc in Applied Cancer Science at the University of Oxford, and will continue as a DPhil student starting Fall 2026.  and fight cancer more effectively, with the broader aim of contributing to improved immunotherapy approaches.