Carl Deselm MD, PhD

Dr. Carl J. DeSelm, MD, PhD, joined the faculty in June 2018 with a laboratory in the Bursky Center for Human Immunotherapy and Immunology Programs (CHiiPs). After earning his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College, Dr. DeSelm earned his MD and PhD from Washington University School of Medicine in 2012, during which time he studied under Dr. Steven Teitelbaum. As a PhD student, Dr. DeSelm described a secretory pathway in the bone resorbing osteoclast that utilizes autophagy pathway proteins, and characterized the role of IL-17 in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. His work led to the Needleman Pharmacology Award from Washington University and a patent for a new therapy for osteoporosis. Dr. DeSelm subsequently redirected his energy toward oncology, and after completing an internal medicine year at Washington University’s Barnes-Jewish Hospital, he underwent radiation oncology residency training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York.

During his time at MSKCC, he became highly interested in immunotherapy, in particular CAR T cell therapy, as some of the first leukemia patients treated with the novel therapy began to exhibit remarkable responses. This prompted him to join the laboratory of Dr. Michel Sadelain, a founding member of the field of CAR T cell therapy, as a Holman Research Fellow. Upon finishing residency, Dr. DeSelm completed a Translational Research Fellowship at MSKCC, continuing to study the combination of radiation with cellular immunotherapy under Michel Sadelain. Currently, Dr. DeSelm clinically focuses on treating lymphoma and is actively developing novel CAR T cell approaches to treating solid tumors, including lymphoma, pancreatic cancer, and glioblastoma.