GavinPeterDunnMDPhD

Summary

• I am a faculty member in the Department of Neurological Surgery with an appointment in the Department of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University, where I am a member of the newly established interdisciplinary Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs. I oversee a research program focused on the immunobiology of malignant glioma with the goal of translational and clinical trial efforts in the treatment of this disease. Whereas extensive genomic profiling is uncovering tumor cell vulnerabilities across many cancer types, this paradigm has not extended to glioblastoma due, at least in part, to the tremendous heterogeneity within these tumors. In contrast to conventional targeted therapeutic approaches, immune-based strategies may be particularly well-suited to treating these tumors due to the incredible diversity of antigens recognizable by immune cells.
  My laboratory is focused on understanding the molecular and cellular basis of the immune response to glioblastoma in preclinical and translational settings as well as clarifying the relationships between glioma genomics and immunogenicity, an area termed “cancer immunogenomics.” These investigations are complemented by ongoing clinical trial efforts in this area.