Alexander Borysov

Undergraduate researcher focused on translational cancer immunotherapy. My work centers on understanding tumor–immune interactions to develop more precise and durable treatments for patients. Committed to integrating scientific discovery with clinical care through an MD/PhD pathway.

University of Florida – Sayour Lab 

Undergraduate Researcher – Tumor Immunotherapy
Gainesville, FL | 2025–Present

Project: Discovery and Validation of T Cell–Specific Antigens in Total Tumor mRNA-LPA Vaccines

• Designed and implemented a dual transcriptomic–proteomic pipeline to identify tumor-oriented T cell–specific antigens encoded within total tumor mRNA-LPA vaccines.
• Performed bulk RNA-seq analysis to prioritize mutated, viral, and fusion-derived neoepitopes based on expression (TPM) and predicted MHC I/II binding affinity.
• Conducted MHC-I immunoprecipitation and Mass spectrometry to validate surface peptide presentation.
• Contributed to development of next-generation precision mRNA-LPA vaccine constructs aimed at improving tumor specificity and overcoming adaptive resistance.

Moffitt Cancer Center – SPARK Program

Undergraduate Research Fellow – Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte (TIL) Therapy
Tampa, FL | Summer 2025

Project: Development of a Pipeline to Identify Tumor-Specific T-Cell Clones in a Murine Sarcoma Model

• Expanded tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and bone marrow–derived dendritic cells from tumor-bearing mice.
• Performed peptide-pulsed DC–TIL co-culture assays and quantified antigen-specific activation using ELISA and ELISpot IFN-γ assays.
• Identified candidate immunogenic neoantigens eliciting significantly elevated IFN-γ secretion.
• Contributed to strategy for enriching tumor-specific T-cell clones to enhance TIL therapy efficacy.