Kai W. Wucherpfennig, MD, PhD

Studies: Novel Strategies for Cancer Immunotherapy

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Contact Information

Office Phone Number

617-632-3086

Biography

Kai W. Wucherpfennig, MD, PhD

Dr. Wucherpfennig received his MD in 1986 and his PhD in 1987 from the University of Goettingen, Germany. He completed research fellowships at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University. In 1995, he joined DFCI, where he is principally involved in basic laboratory research that focuses on T cell immunology and the role of T cells in cancer immunology.

Researcher

Physician

Chair, Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Director, Center for Cancer Immunotherapy Research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Nancy Lurie Marks Professor of Neurology in the Field of Medical Oncology at Harvard Medical School

Professor of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School

Professor of Immunology, Harvard Medical School

Associate Member, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

Co-director, Parker Center for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Recent Awards

Harry Weaver Neuroscience Scholar, National Multiple Sclerosis Society 1992
Langheinrich Prize, University of Berlin

1995
Elected as Member Henry Kunkel Society, Rockefeller University 2007
Elected as Member of American Society for Clinical Investigation 2006
Elected as Fellow, American Society for the Advancement of Science 2009
Transformative RO1, NIH Director's Transformative Research Award Program 2012
Claire W. and Richard P. Morse Research Award, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute 2018

Research

View Dr. Wucherpfennig’s Research

Innovative Research in Cancer Immunology

We study the molecular mechanisms that control T cell and NK cell function in the tumor microenvironment, with a particular focus on the pathways that constrain their effector function. We also study the mechanisms that enable tumor cells to resist an attack by T cells or NK cells. Our strategy integrates investigation of the immune system in human tumors with in-depth mechanistic investigation in model systems. We embrace the complexity of the human cancers and their interaction with the immune system as an opportunity to discover novel biology that opens new perspectives for cancer treatment. Of particular interest are strategies that are relevant for multiple cancer types. We hope to inspire advances in cancer treatment that harness the power of the immune system.