School of Medicine


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  • Crystal Mackall

    Crystal Mackall

    Ernest and Amelia Gallo Family Professor and Professor of Pediatrics and of Medicine

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsRecent clinical studies, by us and others, have demonstrated that genetically engineered T cells can eradicate cancers resistant to all other therapies. We are identifying new targets for these therapeutics, exploring pathways of resistance to current cell therapies and creating next generation platforms to overcome therapeutic resistance. We have discovered novel insights into the biology of human T cell exhaustion and developed approaches to prevent and reverse this phenomenon.

  • Holden Maecker

    Holden Maecker

    Professor (Research) of Microbiology and Immunology
    On Partial Leave from 09/15/2024 To 08/31/2025

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsI'm interested in immune monitoring of T cell responses to chronic pathogens and cancer, and the correlation of T cell response signatures with disease protection.

  • Everett Meyer

    Everett Meyer

    Associate Professor of Medicine (Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy), of Pediatrics (Stem Cell Transplantation) and, by courtesy, of Surgery (Abdominal Transplantation)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsResearch focus in T cell immunotherapy and T cell immune monitoring using high-throughput sequencing and genomic approaches, with an emphasis on hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, the treatment of graft-versus-host disease and immune tolerance induction.

  • David Miklos

    David Miklos

    Professor of Medicine (Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Miklos is the Chief of BMT & Cell Therapy Program. He leads clinical trials treating patients with lymphoma. His correlative research studies: 1) tumor antigen quantification, 2) single cell functional product characterization, 3) CAR-FACS immune phenotyping of blood and tumor, and identifying mechanisms for CAR-T treatment Failure including antigen loss, CAR-T exhaustion, and CAR suppression.

  • Lori Muffly

    Lori Muffly

    Associate Professor of Medicine (Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Muffly's interests include investigator initiated clinical trials focused on cellular therapies for adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia. She also has an active health outcomes research program focused on patterns of care and improving access to care for adults with acute leukemia.

  • Hiromitsu (Hiro) Nakauchi

    Hiromitsu (Hiro) Nakauchi

    Professor of Genetics (Stem Cell)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsTranslation of discoveries in basic research into practical medical applications

  • Robert Negrin

    Robert Negrin

    Professor of Medicine (Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur labaratory focuses on the study of immune recognition by T and NK cells with special emphasis on graft vs host disease and graft vs tumor reactions. We utilize both murine and human systems in an effort to enhance graft vs tumor reactions while controlling graft vs host disease. We have developed bioluminescence models in collaboration with the Contag laboratory to study the trafficking of immune effector cells with a special emphasis on NK, T and regulatory T cells.

  • Derick Okwan

    Derick Okwan

    Assistant Professor of Pathology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsBroadly, the Okwan lab’s primary interest is to understand how and why the immune system contributes to nearly all chronic diseases. The immune system of the modern human has evolved from a history of stress to the species: famines, continual bouts of lethal pandemics, as well as major climate/environmental and migratory changes that exposed the immune system to novel threats. At the forefront of these challenges are innate immune cells, particularly neutrophils, the most abundant leukocytes. For the first time in human history – at least in the western world- we live in an era of abundance. The Okwan lab is interested in understanding how this traumatic history creates a functional mismatch for the neutrophil, which we believe underpins their roles in chronic diseases of the modern era: cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration, and autoimmune disorders. Rather than wholesale depletion of neutrophils and innate immune cells, we seek to identify novel approaches to leverage these cells to combat various diseases.

  • Peter Parham

    Peter Parham

    Professor of Structural Biology and, by courtesy, of Microbiology and Immunology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe Parham laboratory investigates the biology, genetics, and evolution of MHC class I molecules and NK cell receptors.

  • Sneha Ramakrishna

    Sneha Ramakrishna

    Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Hematology/Oncology)

    BioSneha Ramakrishna obtained her B. A. from the University of Chicago and her M.D. from the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. In medical school, through the Howard Hughes Medical Research Scholar Award, she joined Dr. Crystal Mackall’s laboratory, where she designed and developed various GD2 CAR-Ts and tested them in preclinical models. During her residency training in Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, she cared for some of the first patients treated with CD19 CAR T cells, learning the power of this therapy first-hand. During her fellowship in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at the Johns Hopkins/National Cancer Institute combined program, she worked with Dr. Terry Fry. She evaluated the mechanism of CD22 CAR T cell relapse in patients by developing an antigen escape model and establishing a deeper understanding of the effects of antigen density on CAR-T phenotype, expansion, and persistence (Fry…Ramakrishna…Mackall Nat Med, 2018; Ramakrishna, et al., Clinical Cancer Research, 2019). Since arriving at Stanford, Dr. Ramakrishna leads an interdisciplinary team that designs, develops, and successfully implements a robust correlative science platform for our novel CAR-T therapies. Analyzing patient samples from our first-in-human GD2 CAR-T trial (NCT04196413) treating a universally fatal cancer, diffuse midline glioma (DMG), we identified that intracerebroventricular CAR-T administration correlates with enhanced pro-inflammatory cytokines and reduced immunosuppressive cell populations in cerebrospinal fluid as compared to intravenous CAR-T administration (Majzner*, Ramakrishna*, et al., Nature 2022 *co-first authors). Her research program evaluates unique sets of patient samples using novel single-cell immune profiling to identify the drivers of CAR-T success or failure. Building on these findings, her team assesses approaches to enhance CAR-T efficacy and translate these findings to the clinic.

    Clinically, Dr. Ramakrishna cares for children with solid tumors and treats hematologic, solid, and brain tumor pediatric patients with CAR T cell therapies in the Cancer Cellular Therapies program.