Padmanee Sharma, M.D., Ph.D.
The future of immunotherapy and clinical trials
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Appointment InformationDepartment of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine
Dr. Sharma is a nationally and internationally renowned physician scientist who is a pioneer in the field of immune checkpoint therapy. In 2006, Dr. Sharma designed and conducted the first neoadjuvant (pre-surgical) clinical trial with immune checkpoint therapy. She designed and conducted multiple clinical trials, which eventually led to FDA-approval of immune checkpoint therapy for cancer patients, including patients with bladder cancer as well as patients with renal cell carcinoma. She conducted key experiments to define biologic pathways that are involved in anti-tumor responses, including ICOS + effector T cells and tertiary lymphoid structures. She also performed innovative studies to define mechanisms of resistance to immune checkpoint therapy, including loss of signaling in the IFN-pathway, VISTA, and epigenetic pathways such as EZH2. In addition, she identified organ-specific immune responses that contribute to resistance of bone metastases to immune checkpoint therapy. Her detailed laboratory studies have allowed her to design and implement rational combination clinical trials to overcome resistance mechanisms. Currently, Dr. Sharma focuses her effort on a “reverse translation” process that encompasses studies on human immune responses to generate hypotheses related to mechanisms of tumor rejection, which she tests in appropriately designed pre-clinical models, and subsequently uses the new data to design novel clinical trials to improve outcomes for patients with cancer. Dr. Sharma is the Director of Scientific Programs for the James P. Allison Institute at MD Anderson Cancer Center. She is the inaugural Scientific Director of the Immunotherapy Platform, Professor in the Departments of Genitourinary Medical Oncology and Immunology, the T.C. and Jeanette Hsu Endowed Chair in Cell Biology, and Co-Director of Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. She is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI); received the Emil Frei III Award for Excellence in Translational Research in 2016; the Coley Award for Distinguished Research for Tumor Immunology in 2018; and honored with the Women in Science with Excellence (WISE) award in 2020.
Professor, Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Professor, Department of Immunology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
VP Immunobiology, Department of Immunology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Director of Scientific Programs, Department of James P. Allison Institute, Division of James P. Allison Institute, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
1998 | Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA, Ph.D, Immunology |
1998 | Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA, MD, Medicine |
1991 | Boston University, Boston, MA, USA, MA, Biotechnology |
2023 | Board Certified Medical Oncology |
2000 | Board Certified Internal Medicine |
Associate Professor, Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2010 - 2014
Associate Professor, Department of Immunology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2010 - 2014
Assistant Professor, Department of Immunology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2005 - 2010
Assistant Professor, Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2004 - 2010
Director of Scientific Programs, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2021 - Present
Scientific Director, Immunotherapy Platform, Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2012 - Present
Chair, Andrew Sabin Fellows, 2022 - Present
Member, Physician Scientist Program, 2020 - Present
Scientific Director, Immunotherapy Platform Executive Committee & Immunotherapy Platform Working Group, 2012 - Present
Member, Women Faculty Programs, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2010 - 2023
T.C. and Jeanette Hsu Endowed Chair in Cell Biology, Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2019 - Present
SAB member, Akoya Biosciences, USA, 2024 - Present
SAB Member, Osteologic Therapeutics, USA, 2023 - Present
SAB Member, Matrisome, USA, 2023 - Present
SAB Member, Affini-T, USA, 2021 - Present
SAB Member, Catalio, USA, 2021 - Present
SAB Member, C-Reveal Therapeutics, USA, 2021 - Present
SAB Member, Enable Medicine, USA, 2021 - Present
SAB Member, Intervenn Biosciences, USA, 2021 - Present
SAB Member, Two Bear Capital, USA, 2021 - Present
SAB Member, Xilis Inc, USA, 2021 - Present
SAB Member, Achelois, USA, 2020 - Present
SAB Member, Carisma, USA, 2020 - Present
SAB Member, Earli Inc, USA, 2020 - Present
SAB Member, PBM Capital, USA, 2020 - Present
SAB Member, Phenomic AI, USA, 2020 - Present
SAB Member, Trained Therapeutix Discovery, USA, 2020 - Present
SAB Member, Hummingbird Bioscience, San Francisco, CA, 2019 - Present
SAB Member, Dragonfly Therapeutics, Waltham, MA, 2019 - Present
SAB Member, AsherBio, USA, 2019 - Present
SAB Member, Candel Therapeutics, USA, 2019 - Present
SAB Member, Glympse, USA, 2019 - Present
SAB member, Henlius/Hengenix, USA, 2019 - Present
SAB Member, LAVA Therapeutics, USA, 2019 - Present
SAB Member, Lytix Biopharma, USA, 2019 - Present
SAB Member, Oncoloytics, USA, 2019 - Present
SAB Member, Polaris Pharmaceuticals, San Diego, CA, 2018 - Present
SAB Member, Apricity Therapeutics, Inc, San Francisco, CA, 2018 - Present
SAB Member, Marker Therapeutics, Houston, TX, 2018 - Present
SAB Member, ImaginAB, Inglewood, CA, 2018 - Present
Oncolytics Biotech Advisory Board, Barbados, 2017 - Present
SAB Member, BioAtla LLC, San Diego, CA, 2017 - Present
2024 | Fellow of the AACR Academy, AACR |
2022 | 2022: Honoris Causa, University of Buenos Aires |
2021 | MD Anderson Cancer Center, Heath Memorial Award |
2021 | MD Anderson Cancer Center, The Jack and Beverly Randall Prize for Excellence in Cancer Research |
2020 | Women in Science with Excellence Honoree, BioHouston |
2020 | Lloyd J. Old Team Science Award, Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer |
2020 | Kleberg Foundation Award, Kleberg Foundation |
2018 | William B. Coley Award in Tumor Immunology, Cancer Research Institute |
2018 | MD Anderson Cancer Center, The Julie & Ben Rogers Award for Excellence in Research |
2012 | MD Anderson Women Faculty Programs, "Woman Leading the Way" |
2007 | The Gillson Longenbaugh Foundation, Award Recipient |
2005 | National Institute of Health Renewal Clinical Loan Repayment Program Award |
Title: | |
Funding Source: | MD Anderson-Medimmune |
Role: | Co-Program Leader |
Title: | MD Anderson Cancer Center Prostate Cancer SPORE |
Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
Role: | Co-Investigator |
Title: | A Feasibility Study to Determine T-Cell Responses to Neoantigens Following Treatment with Ipilimumab in Men with Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Carcinoma |
Funding Source: | MD Anderson High Impact Clinical Research Support Program (HI-CRSP) |
Role: | Principal Investigator |
Title: | |
Funding Source: | NIH/NCI - MD Anderson Cancer Center Prostate Cancer SPORE |
Role: | Clinical Co-Leader, Project 1 |
Title: | UT MD Anderson Cancer Center Network Lead Academic Participating Site (LAP) UG1 |
Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
Role: | Co-Investigator |
Title: | |
Funding Source: | Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy |
Role: | Co-Principal Investigator |
Title: | |
Funding Source: | Kleberg Foundation Award |
Role: | Principal Investigator |
CV information above last modified August 29, 2024