Stephen Thirdborough

Dr. Stephen Thirdborough serves as an Associate Professor at the University of Southampton within the Centre for Cancer Immunology and Institute of Developmental Sciences. His research integrates immunology, oncology, and molecular biology to develop novel cancer immunotherapies, with current projects examining tumor microenvironment dynamics and antibody resistance mechanisms.

His primary research focuses on cancer immunology and antibody therapy optimization, specifically investigating macrophage phagocytosis regulation, myeloid cell checkpoints like LILRB3, and T-cell immunity enhancement through combination approaches. Key interests include tumor microenvironment remodeling, exosomal microRNA signaling in cancer-stroma communication, and overcoming therapeutic resistance in solid tumors.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals consistent emphasis on antibody-dependent cellular mechanisms (2022-2024), myeloid cell regulation (2020-2022), and tumor microenvironment reprogramming (2017-2019), demonstrating translational work bridging basic immunology and clinical cancer applications.

Dr. Thirdborough actively supervises PhD researchers including Ian Celyn Davies in Cancer Sciences while securing major funding from National Institutes of Health, Cancer Research UK, and Blood Cancer UK for projects targeting macrophage function, myeloid cell immunomodulation, and antibody therapy enhancement. His collaborative work involves multiple cross-institutional teams including the Antibody and Vaccine Group.

His laboratory operates within the Centre for Cancer Immunology, focusing on translational immunology with specialized capabilities in tumor microenvironment modeling, antibody engineering, and myeloid cell functional assays to advance next-generation cancer immunotherapies.