Research: Relapse remains an obstacle to achieve long-term survival in patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. How leukemia cells are able to evade the anti-tumor immune response remains elusive. Several groups have demonstrated leukemia cells engage in massive remodeling of their microenvironment, creating a niche that supports their persistence and expansion. Our group has shown that leukemia cells promote the emergence of immunosuppressive Type-1 Regulatory (Tr1) CD4 T cells, subverting adaptive immunity to impair the anti-leukemia response. However, this can be reversed by combining a Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor (TKI) with anti-PDL1 checkpoint blockade, leading to long-term cures in 70% of mice. I am interested in uncovering the immune circuits that govern Tr1 development and how TKI + anti-PDL1 therapy reverses the collapse of the anti-tumor response to prevent relapse.
Publications: Venkatesh, H., Granados Centeno, E., Luo, Q., Arroyo, M., Heltemes-Harris, L., Knutson, T. P., ... & Tracy, S. I. (2025). Leukemia escapes immunity by imposing a type 1 regulatory program on neoantigen-specific CD4+ T cells. Blood, 146(23), 2779-2793.
