Human Oncology & Pathogenesis Program

The Jedd Wolchok Lab

Research

Jedd D. Wolchok, MD, PhD, FASCO

Chief, Immuno-Oncology Service, Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program

Professor

The overall goals of my laboratory efforts are to develop and implement new ways to use the immune system to treat cancer.

Some of our ongoing projects include:

Investigation of the GITR pathway as it relates to regulatory and effector T cells.
Use of OX40 agonists alone and in combination with chemotherapy.
Exploration of the role of myeloid derived suppressor cells in tumor immunity.
Studying of the mechanisms underlying coordinated regulation of myeloid cells and IDO in the tumor environment and their therapeutic relevance.
Role of CD47 in T cell signaling.
Developing optimal cancer vaccine strategies in pre-clinical mouse models.
Role of exercise in immune checkpoint blockade.

We are also closely aligned with the Ludwig Center for Cancer Immunity and work closely with that group to monitor immune responses in patients receiving experimental immunotherapy treatments.

Featured News

Finding

Discovery of Unusual Cell Type Could Help Guide Immunotherapy

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Finding

Cancer Cells Eat Fat to Grow and Spread

Thursday, June 14, 2018

In the Lab

Resistance Is Futile: Targeted Treatment Makes Stubborn Cancers Responsive to Immunotherapy

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

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Publications

Robert C, Thomas L, Bondarenko I, O’Day S, M DJ, Garbe C, Lebbe C, Baurain JF, Testori A, Grob JJ, Davidson N, Richards J, Maio M, Hauschild A, Miller WH, Jr., Gascon P, Lotem M, Harmankaya K, Ibrahim R, Francis S, Chen TT, Humphrey R, Hoos A, Wolchok JD. Ipilimumab plus dacarbazine for previously untreated metastatic melanoma. N Engl J Med. 2011;364(26):2517-26

Wolchok JD, Hoos A, O’Day S, Weber JS, Hamid O, Lebbe C, Maio M, Binder M, Bohnsack O, Nichol G, Humphrey R, Hodi FS. Guidelines for the evaluation of immune therapy activity in solid tumors: immune-related response criteria. Clin Cancer Res. 2009;15(23):7412-20.

Postow MA, Callahan MK, Barker CA, Yamada Y, Yuan J, Kitano S, Mu Z, Rasalan T, Adamow M, Ritter E, Sedrak C, Jungbluth AA, Chua R, Yang AS, Roman RA, Rosner S, Benson B, Allison JP, Lesokhin AM, Gnjatic S, Wolchok JD. Immunologic correlates of the abscopal effect in a patient with melanoma. N Engl J Med. 2012 Mar 8;366(10):925-31.

Hirschhorn-Cyerman D, Budhu S, Kitano S, Liu C, Zhao F, Zhong H, Lesokhin A, Avogadri-Connors F, Yuan J, Li Y, Houghton AN, Merghoub T, Wolchok JD. Induction of tumoricidal function in CD4+ T cells is associated with concomitant memory and terminally differentiated phenotype. J Exp Med, 2012 Sept 24; 209(11) 2113-2126.

Wolchok JD, Kluger H, Callahan, MK, Postow, MA, Rizvi NA, Lesokhin, AM, Segal NH, Ariyan CE, Gordon RA, Reed, K, Burke MM, Caldwell A, Kronenberg SA, Agunwamba BU, Zhang X, Lowy I, Inzunza HD, Feely W, Horak CE, Hong Q, Korman AJ, Wigginton JM, Gupta, MA, Sznol M. Safety and clinical activity of combined PD-1 (nivolumab) and CTLA-4 (ipilimumab) blockade in advanced melanoma patients. New Engl J of Med., 2013 Jul 11;369(2):122-33.

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People

Jedd D. Wolchok, MD, PhD, FASCO

Chief, Immuno-Oncology Service, Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program

Professor

Physician-scientist Jedd Wolchok investigates novel approaches for cancer immunotherapy and mechanisms of tumor cell–immune cell interactions. He has been at the forefront of cancer immunotherapy, as an active clinician scientist exploring innovative immunotherapeutic strategies in laboratory models and as a principal investigator in numerous pivotal clinical trials.
Princeton University, Princeton, NJ BA
New York University, New York, NY MS
New York University, New York, NY PhD
New York University, New York, NY MD

View physician profile: Physician profile

Members

Jedd D. Wolchok, MD, PhD, FASCO — Jedd D. Wolchok
Lab Head

Taha Merghoub, PhD — Taha Merghoub
Attending Biologist

Beatrice Yin, MA — Beatrice Yin
Research Lab Manager

Daniel Hirschhorn-Cymerman
Senior Research Scientist

Sadna Budhu, PhD — Sadna Budhu
Research Associate

Roberta Zappasodi, PhD — Roberta Zappasodi
PICI Bridge Scholar

Hyejin Choi, PhD — Hyejin Choi
Research Associate

Luis Felipe Campesato, PhD — Luis Felipe Campesato
Research Associate

Judith Michels, MD, PhD — Judith Michels
Research Fellow

Levi Mark Bala Mangarin, BS — Levi Mark Bala Mangarin
Bioinformatics Technician

Shakuntala Tiwari
Senior Research Assistant

Dmitriy Zamarin, MD, PhD — Dmitriy Zamarin
Assistant Attending Physician

Alexander Lesokhin, MD — Alexander Lesokhin
Assistant Member

Michael Postow, MD — Michael Postow
Assistant Attending Physician

Margaret K. Callahan, MD, PhD — Margaret K. Callahan
Assistant Attending, Department of Medicine

Danny Khalil

Medical Oncologist

Allison Betof, MD, PhD — Allison Betof
Medical Oncologist

Arnab Ghosh, MBBS, PhD — Arnab Ghosh
Hematologic Oncologist

Kelly Fitzgerald
Medical Oncology Fellow

Lab Alumni

Stephanie Terzulli

Immunotherapy Program Manager

David A. Schaer
Senior Research Scientist

Feng Zhao

Research Technician

Andre P. Burey

Research Technician

Claire Friedman, MD — Claire Friedman
Medical Oncologist

Humilidad Gallardo

Research Laboratory Manager

Polly D. Gregor

Assistant Member

Robert Jenq

Research Fellow

Shigehisa Kitano

Visiting Investigator

Jeanie Melson

Administrative Assistant

Zhenyu Mu

Research Assistant

Kelly Piersanti

Research Technician

Rosemarie Ramsawak

Senior Research Technician

Teresa Rasalan

Research Assistant

Sapna Tandon

Senior Research Technician

Shachi Vyas

Senior Research Technician

Leila Sellam
Graduate Research Assistant

Mohamed Amine Feliachi, Research Technician — Mohamed Amine Feliachi
Research Technician

David Redmond, PhD — David Redmond
Bioinformatics Engineer IV

Jacob Ricca

Research Technician

Lab Affilations

Achievements

The use of immunomodulatory antibodies, specifically antibodies which interfere with the CTLA-4 co-inhibitory pathway has been studied in over a dozen clinical trials. Dr. Wolchok led a phase III study of ipilimumab plus dacarbazine in patients with previously untreated metastatic melanoma. Overall survival was significantly longer in the group receiving ipilimumab plus dacarbazine than in the group receiving dacarbazine plus placebo (Wolchok et al, NEJM 30;364(26):2517-26, 2011)