Sneha Ramakrishna, MD

Dr. Ramakrishna aims to improve a promising cancer treatment called CAR T cell therapy for children with an aggressive and deadly brain tumor called diffuse midline glioma (DMG). CAR T cell therapy engineers a patient's own immune system, specifically their T cells, to find and kill cancer cells. While early trials show these CAR T cells can initially shrink tumor cells, the cancer can return, often in the setting of suppressive immune cells, called myeloid cells, which could stop CAR T cells from working. This project will identify how suppressive myeloid cells interfere with treatment and develop new strategies to help CAR T cells fight cancer cells longer, with a goal of turning temporary responses into durable cures for children with this fatal disease.