Overview
I am a physician-scientist with a background in medical oncology and neuro-oncology, with affiliations to multiple departments, research, and training programs at Duke.
I lead a Tumor Immunology Lab where we use various wet and dry lab techniques to understand the interactions between tumors and the immune system. Our goal is to identify vulnerabilities that can be targeted for novel therapies.
I serve as the Deputy Director of the Center for Cancer Immunotherapy at the Duke Cancer Institute where we are tasked to facilitate clinical research and translate promising discoveries made by scientists across various departments and cancer types at Duke, particularly in the field of immune and T cell-based therapies.
My team and our laboratory operate in an environment that enables the transition from bench-side basic scientific discoveries to clinical trials, and back to the bench ensuring the evaluation of new treatments for cancer patients.
Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations
Recent News Items
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Recent Scholarly Works
Point/Counterpoint: Dordaviprone for diffuse midline glioma - A landmark approval or a premature step?
Journal article Neuro Oncol · August 1, 2026 Diffuse midline glioma (DMG) remains one of the most aggressive and uniformly fatal brain tumors, with a median overall survival (OS) of only 11 months and no systemic therapy yet demonstrating a meaningful survival benefit. Primarily affecting children an ... Full text Link to item CiteOncolytic HSV-1 Encoding IL-12 and Anti-PD-1 Reprograms CNS Immunity: Open-Label Study of MVR-C5252 for Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy (PuMP) 2259418
Conference The Journal of Immunology · August 1, 2026 AbstractIntroductionTo overcome immunosuppression in glioblastoma (GBM), we evaluated MVR-C5252, an HSV-1 expressing interleuki ... Full text CiteSpatial and vascular determinants of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte expansion in glioblastoma 2260218
Conference The Journal of Immunology · August 1, 2026 AbstractIntroductionAdoptive transfer of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) has shown promise in solid tumors but remains li ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
The PuMP Trial: "A Multistage Phase 1 Open-Label Study to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability and Efficacy of the Oncolytic HSV1 MVR-C5252 in Patients with Recurrent High-Grade Glioma"
Clinical TrialPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by ImmVira Co., Limited · 2026 - 2031A Phase I Study of hEGFRvIII-CD3 bi-scFv (BRiTE) in Patients with WHO Grade IV Malignant Glioma
Clinical TrialPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Adaptin Bio, Inc. · 2026 - 2031Genetics and Genomics Training Grant
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2026 - 2031View All Grants