The five-year survival rates for leukemia have doubled over the last 50 years, from 34% in 1975 to 70% in 2020. This trend is due in large part to the widespread adoption of cell therapies, including stem cell transplantation and, more recently, immunotherapies. However, major side effects such as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), immune checkpoint blockade-induced colitis and the loss of persistence and exhaustion of transferred T cells limit the therapeutic potential of cell-based treatments.

Dr. Pavan Reddy, M.D., is a renowned physician-scientist with research spanning basic immunology and translational proof-of-concept clinical trials in hematology and oncology. His overall goal has been to improve outcomes after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. With the help of a CPRIT Established Investigator Award, in 2022 Dr. Reddy was recruited to Baylor College of Medicine as Director of the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center. At Baylor, he leads oncology services, research and strategic growth of the Cancer Center. Previously, Dr. Reddy spent more than two decades at the University of Michigan, where he rose to division chief for hematology/oncology and Deputy Director of the Rogel Cancer Center.

As a leader, Dr. Reddy aims to build on the rich legacy of the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, to make it a world class translational powerhouse in cancer care. "I am honored and thrilled to lead the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center," Reddy said. "The center is well-poised to be a world leader, contributing foundational discoveries that translate to the clinic and transform the care of cancer patients. I hope to engage all the stakeholders, build on its culture of excellence and leverage the outstanding resources at Baylor College of Medicine and its clinical partners."

In the lab, his work blends hypothesis-driven studies informed by unbiased discovery-based explorations. In this proposal, he addresses challenges to immunotherapy posed both by effector T cells and immune target cells. This work stems from exciting observations in targeting the critical COPII and mitochondrial pathways in T-cells to disentangle T-cell responses. In addition, his lab is exploring the role of target cell-specific metabolic adaptations in promoting cellular resilience and sensitivity to T cells. He further is analyzing the lasting effects of T cells on immune targets through epigenetic reprogramming, as well as exploring the complex biology of diet-microbiome axis following immunotherapy to determine whether those changes regulate the severity of common immunotoxicities. Finally, he proposes to develop a proof-of-concept clinical trial for patients receiving immune checkpoint blockade therapy or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplants.

Dr. Reddy obtained his medical degree from Osmania Medical College in India before completing his residency in internal medicine at the University of Missouri, Columbia. He then completed fellowships in hematology-oncology and blood and bone marrow transplantation at the University of Michigan.