Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy

When the hardest cancers go unsolved, @xrtcell, MD (@StanfordMed), gets to work. The PICI Investigator is a recipient of the 2025 CRI Lloyd J. Old STAR Award from @CancerResearch—recognizing investigators who take on cancer’s toughest questions. Dr. Kalbasi’s lab is reshaping…

Immune recovery after transplant may rely less on the thymus and more on choosing the right stem cells. A @NatureComms study with @DrMvandenBrink and @MelodySmithMD identifies a unique group of blood-forming stem cells—Kit(lo) HSCs—that significantly improve immune rebuilding…

What if one cell therapy could seed another—building a renewable supply of tumor-fighting T cells from within? A new @NatureComms study led by Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD, Director of the PICI Center at @UCLA, and a team including Owen Witte, MD, Co-Director of the PICI Center at UCLA,…

What if we could rewire tumors to help the immune system destroy them? A new PICI-supported study by @UCSFMedicine and @washumedicine with contributions from @jccarnevale , MD, and @apwiita, MD, PhD, shows ATG9A-deficient tumors are vulnerable to macrophages. And with…

Can a common autoimmune drug help reverse one of the most serious side effects of cancer immunotherapy? A new PICI-supported @UCLAHealth study says maybe yes. Researchers found that JAK inhibitors — already FDA-approved — could prevent or even reverse checkpoint inhibitor–induced…

In the latest issue! Mis-splicing-derived neoantigens and cognate TCRs in splicing factor mutant leukemias dlvr.it/TLcGmQ

We’re proud to announce that Elizabeth Mittendorf, MD, will join BIDMC as Chief of a new Division of Breast Surgery! 👏 A renowned surgeon, she will bring bold leadership to our growing program in collaboration with Dana-Farber. Learn more: bidmc.org/about-bidmc/ne…

𝐂𝐀𝐑-𝐓 𝐋𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜-𝐆𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: @ArsenalBio CEO @KDrazan describes the idea of logic-gating, which might allow CAR-T therapies to work in solid tumors when targeting more than one antigen is needed. Full interview: biotechtv.com/post/arsenalbi…

T cells don’t act alone. The immune system’s response to cancer depends on multicellular “hubs” — coordinated networks of immune and non-immune cells. @PelkaLab (@GladstoneInst) has been awarded the 2025 @aaas Wachtel Award for uncovering these hubs, and revealing why some tumors…

Cancer immunotherapy is in its renaissance — and at PICI, the science is ready. At #FOCIS2025, PICI President of Research Ira Mellman, PhD, delivered a keynote on how decades of discovery are rapidly becoming durable treatments — from checkpoint inhibitors and dendritic cells to…

Share your #cancer #immunology research w/ #CSCancerImmunity2025 organizers Ignacio Melero @unav, Ira Mellman @parkerici, Fabiola Rivas, @ImmunityCP & Montse Rojo de la Vega @Cancer_Cell. Abstract deadline July 25 hubs.li/Q03tjTxS0

Ira Mellman, the new president of research at the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (@parkici), asks why so many drug developers are retreating from cancer immunotherapies before they have achieved their full potential in our latest interview nature.com/articles/d4157…

KRAS mutations are among the most common—and most challenging—targets in solid tumors. A new @CellPressNews study led by PICI investigator Daniel Powell, PhD, and a @PennMedicine team including Beatriz Carreno, PhD, introduces NeoCARs: CAR T-cells targeting mutant KRAS (G12V) via…

Thrilled to celebrate @DrKarenKnudsen — our CEO — as a @CNBC 2025 Changemaker! Her mission: get innovation to those who need it most. In under 10 years, PICI has backed 1,000+ investigators, 17 startups, and $4B+ in follow-on capital — all by de-risking science from day one.…

120+ experts. 3 days. 1 mission. At the 2025 PICI Spring Scientific Retreat, we aligned on what’s next in cancer immunotherapy — and how to deliver it faster. From AI to predictive biomarkers and smarter cell therapies, we’re moving breakthroughs from bench to bedside with…

The deadliest cancers don’t just resist treatment, they vanish from the immune system’s view. PICI Investigator @JudithAgudo1, PhD, @DanaFarber has made it her mission to expose them. This week, that mission was recognized with the 2025 CRI Lloyd J. Old STAR Award, one of…

“Why stop now, when we haven’t yet realized immunotherapy’s full potential?” In a new @NatRevDrugDisc interview, @mellmani, PhD, President of Research at PICI, shares what’s next in #CancerImmunotherapy—from curative cell therapies to smarter T cells. Read more:…

New #JITC review: Intentional heterogeneity in autologous cell-based gene therapies: strategic considerations for first-in-human trials bit.ly/4dTQf0V @John_E_Connolly

thank you, @CancerResearch -- we are fired up and ready to make some bold moves