Peter S. Hammerman MD, PhD

Peter S. Hammerman, MD, PhD ability to define the genetic alterations that allow tumors to grow in an uncontrolled fashion has transformed our approach to cancer treatment, enabling the development of targeted therapies. Despite the initial success of targeted therapies, these treatments have limited efficacy in most diseases. Recent studies have shown that the immune cells that infiltrate a tumor play an active role in dictating the response to therapy; specific new therapies can augment the ability of the immune system to fight a cancer in combination with conventional therapies. Dr. Hammerman is using lung cancer as a model to explore genome-scale approaches to dissect this complex relationship between the tumor and its immune microenvironment. The goal of this research is to better define the optimal types of therapy for lung cancer by combining drugs that target the genetic alterations found in the tumor with those aimed at enhancing the immune response to the cancer, and to translate these observations into clinical practice.