Kristen E. Pauken, Ph.D.
Department of Immunology, Division of Discovery Science
About Dr. Kristen E. Pauken
Dr. Pauken received her Bachelor's of Science in Microbiology in 2007 from Colorado State University, where she studied how sand fly saliva impacted innate immunity to parasitic infection in the lab of Dr. Richard Titus. She then went on to receive her Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota in 2013 in the lab of Dr. Brian Fife, studying PD-1-mediated regulation of autoreactive CD4+ T cells during Type 1 Diabetes. Following completion of her Ph.D., Dr. Pauken moved to the University of Pennsylvania, examining how PD-1 blockade impacted exhausted CD8+ T cells in the lab of Dr. E. John Wherry. Here, Dr. Pauken made the seminal observation that T cell exhaustion represents its own unique cell state, fundamentally different at the epigenetic level than functional effector or memory cells that develop during acute infection. Importantly, PD-1 inhibitors were not capable of reprogramming this inflexible epigenetic state; rather, these inhibitors temporarily boosted effector activity of genes that were confined to the open chromatin landscape within exhausted T cells. In 2016, Dr. Pauken then went on to study in the lab of Dr. Arlene Sharpe at Harvard Medical School, where she focused on mechanisms of PD-1-mediated regulation of CD8+ T cells in cancer. In Dr. Sharpe’s lab, Dr. Pauken developed significant expertise in single cell RNA seq, and developed a method using single cell sequencing of the T cell receptor (TCR) to track T cell clones of interest based on having a shared TCR sequence between tissue types or treatment groups.
Dr. Pauken joined the faculty at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Immunology in the Division of Discovery Science in September 2022. She is leveraging her 20 years of fundamental cellular immunology experience to interrogate the immunological mechanisms driving protective vs. pathogenic immune responses in cancer, autoimmunity, and immune-related adverse events in cancer. Her long-term goal is to develop strategies to expand the reach of checkpoint-based immunotherapy by improving both efficacy and safety, with the goal of dissociating the protective effects of checkpoint inhibitors from the pathogenic side effects. In her lab, half of her projects focus directly on cancer and improving immunotherapy response, and the other half focuses on developing approaches to mitigate immune-related adverse events in cancer and autoimmunity. Dr. Pauken is one of the faculty co-leaders of the Immunotherapy Toxicity Operational Platform (ITOP), a STRIDE initiative at MD Anderson. The mission of ITOP is to integrate institutional resources and expertise for research and discovery initiatives to optimize immunotherapy-related toxicity prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Dr. Pauken is also an active member of the Immuno-Oncology Toxicity (IOTOX) Leaders Group, an initiative at MD Anderson that focuses on improving the lives and outcomes of patients with cancer by reducing the burden and impact of immune-related adverse events caused by checkpoint-based immunotherapy. She is also a member of the Survivorship Research Working Group, aiming to improve the lives of the cancer survivorship through driving research programs in long term immune-mediated toxicities. Lastly, Dr. Pauken is a dedicated mentor and educator. She is a regular member of the Graduate School in Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) at MD Anderson and UT Health, serves as the direct mentor for multiple postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduate students, and is an active participant in GSBS program events and graduate student advisory and examination committees.
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Assistant Professor, Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Research Interests
Harnessing the immune system using immune checkpoint inhibitors to treat cancer has revolutionized clinical cancer care, demonstrating remarkable efficacy in diverse cancer types. However, response rates for most cancers remain below 50%, highlighting the need to better understand immunological drivers of response and resistance to improve outcomes. Moreover, a subset of patients develops autoimmune-like immune-related adverse events, which has limited the utility of this approach. The inability to push the reset button on autoreactive immune responses is becoming a rate limiting step in the effective application of immunotherapy for the treatment of cancer and continues to hamper our ability to treat autoimmunity. The central mission of the Pauken laboratory is to expand the reach of checkpoint immunotherapy by understanding and overcoming immunological barriers to success, enabling safer and more effective cancer treatments for more patients. In her laboratory, she is leveraging her 20 years of fundamental cellular immunology experience to interrogate the immunological mechanisms driving protective vs. pathogenic immune responses in cancer, autoimmunity, and immune-related adverse events in cancer. Her long-term goal is to develop strategies to expand the reach of checkpoint-based immunotherapy by improving both efficacy and safety, with the goal of dissociating the protective effects of checkpoint inhibitors from the pathogenic side effects. In her lab, half of her project focus directly on cancer and improving immunotherapy response, and the other half focuses on developing approaches to mitigate immune-related adverse events in cancer and autoimmunity.
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2013 | University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, Immunology, Ph.D |
| 2007 | Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, US, Microbiology, BS |
Postgraduate Training
| 2016-2022 | Postdoctoral Training, Immunology, cancer immunotherapy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts |
| 2013-2016 | Postdoctoral Training, Immunology, chronic infection, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
Experience & Service
Administrative Appointments/Responsibilities
Immunotherapy Toxicity Operational Platform (ITOP), STRIDE Platform, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2026 - Present
Other Professional Positions
Faculty Co-Leader, Immunotherapy Toxicity Operations Platform (ITOP), The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2026 - Present
Member, MD Anderson Cancer Center/UT Health Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS), Houston, TX, 2023 - Present
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 2016 - 2022
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 2013 - 2016
Research Scientist, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 2013 - 2013
Graduate Student Research Assistant, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 2008 - 2013
Junior Research Scientist, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 2006 - 2008
Undergraduate Research and Laboratory Assistant, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 2006 - 2006
Intramural Institutional Committee Activities
Co-Chair, Odyssey Postdoctoral Fellowship Selection Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2026 - 2026
Member, Cancer Survivorship Research Advisory Workgroup, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2025 - 2026
Co-Chair, IOTOX Education Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2025 - 2027
Co-Lead, Survivorship Research Priority Theme Working Group: Long-Term Immune Toxicity Subcommittee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2025 - 2026
Co-Chair, Immuno-Oncology Toxicity Initiative (IOTOX) Symposium; "Delivering What Matters: Patient Centered-Outcomes Through IOTOX Translational Science", The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2025 - 2026
Committee Member, Odyssey Postdoctoral Fellowship, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2025 - 2028
Committee Member, Immunotherapy Toxicity Operating Platform (ITOP), a STRIDE Initiative at MD Anderson, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2025 - Present
Co-Chair, IOTOX Research Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2024 - 2026
Committee Member, IOTOX By-Laws Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2024 - 2024
Committee Member, Institute for Data Sciences in Oncology (IDSO), The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2024 - 2027
Committee Member, IOTOX Education Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2024 - 2026
Co-Chair, MD Anderson 2024 IOTOX Symposium Planning Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2024 - 2024
Committee Member, Immuno-Oncology Toxicity Initiative (IOTOX) Leaders Group, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2023 - 2027
Committee Member, GSBS Immunology Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and UT Health Houston, 2023 - 2026
Editorial Activities
Co-guest Editor, Special Issue of Cancers entitled “The Tumor Microenvironment – Interplay of Immune Cells, 2024 - Present
Co-guest editor, Special Issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (IJMS) entitled “Mechanistic Insights into Cancer Immunotherapy and Immune-Related Adverse Events, 2024 - Present
Honors & Awards
| 2026 - Present | Early Career Reviewer Program, Cancer Immunotherapeutics Special Emphasis Study Section, National Institutes of Health |
| 2025 | Highly Cited Researcher in the Field of Immunology, Web of Science Group |
| 2024 | Highly Cited Researcher in the Field of Immunology, Web of Science Group |
| 2023 | Highly Cited Researcher in the Field of Immunology, Web of Science Group |
| 2023 | Arthur and Sandra Irving Cancer Immunology Symposium Scholar |
| 2023 | Andrew Sabin Family Foundation Fellow |
| 2022 | University of Texas Rising STARs Award |
| 2022 | Highly Cited Researcher Cross Field, Web of Science Group |
| 2021 | Highly Cited Researcher in the Field of Immunology, Web of Science Group |
| 2021 | American Association of Immunologists (AAI) Abstract Award, AAI General Meeting, Virtual Event |
| 2020 | Highly Cited Researcher in the Field of Immunology, Web of Science Group |
| 2019 | Scholarship to Attend “Uncovering Mechanisms of Immune-Based Therapy in Cancer and Autoimmunity, Keystone Organization |
| 2017 | AAI Travel Award, AAI General Meeting, Washington D.C., District of Columbia |
| 2016 | University of Pennsylvania Biomedical Postdoctoral Program Travel Award, University of Pennsylvania |
| 2014 | University of Pennsylvania Biomedical Postdoctoral Program Travel Award, University of Pennsylvania |
| 2014 | AAI Travel Award, AAI General Meeting, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| 2013 | Steer Family Award for Excellence in Diabetes Research, Minnesota Medical Foundation |
| 2012 | Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology (MICaB) Graduate Program Travel Award, University of Minnesota |
| 2012 | Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology (MICaB) Graduate Program Golden Pipetteman Award, University of Minnesota |
| 2012 | AAI Travel Award, AAI General Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts |
| 2008 | Excellence Award, University of Minnesota |
| 2007 | Magna cum laude, Colorado State University |
| 2007 | Honors for Outstanding Poster Presentation, Colorado State University |
| 2005 - 2007 | Dean's Honor List, Colorado State University |
Professional Memberships
Selected Presentations & Talks
Local Presentations
- 2026. Checkpoint Immunotherapy in Melanoma – Immunological mechanisms of response, resistance, and toxicity. Invited. MD Anderson Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology Research Seminar Series. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2026. Checkpoint Immunotherapy. Invited. Immunology ONCORE Summer Youth Program. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2026. Using the immune system to cure cancer – The good, the bad, and the ugly. Invited. Genomic Medicine Summer Youth Program. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2026. General Immunology and Tumor Immunology Basics. Invited. Immunology ONCORE Summer Youth Program. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2026. Round table discussion: Bridging the Gap Between Basic Science and Clinical Care. Panelist. 2026 ASPIRE/IOTOX Symposium - Delivering What Matters: Patient-centered Outcomes Through IOTOX Translational Science. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2026. Late effects of immunotherapy. Invited. Cancer Survivorship Research Retreat. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2026. Leveraging peripheral immune cells to improve outcomes following PD-1 immunotherapy for cancer. Invited. MD Anderson Department of Cancer Biology Seminar Series. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2025. Identifying mechanistic drivers of protective immunity following PD-1 immunotherapy for cancer. Invited. Department of Systems Biology Research Seminar Series. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2025. Checkpoint immunotherapy for cancer – Learning how to leverage the good while minimizing the bad. Invited. Discover Biomedicine. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2025. Peripheral leukocyte recruitment to tumors vs. inflamed tissues following checkpoint immunotherapy. Invited. IOTOX Research Seminar Series. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2025. Immune cell recruitment in driving protective vs. pathogenic immune responses following checkpoint immunotherapy in cancer. Invited. GSBS MSTP Seminar Series. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2025. Interrogating the immunological drivers of skin immune-related adverse events in cancer immunotherapy. Invited. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Research Town Hall, US.
- 2025. The role of peripheral immune cell recruitment in driving protective vs. pathogenic responses following checkpoint immunotherapy. Invited. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Research Town Hall. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2025. Defining pathogenic immunological correlates and intervention response in checkpoint inhibitor-induced cutaneous immune-related adverse events. Invited. IOTOX Research Seminar Series. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2025. Defining the role of circulating CD8+ T cells in protective vs. pathogenic immune responses following checkpoint blockade in melanoma. Invited. Melanoma Medical Oncology Clinical Faculty Meeting. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2024. Relevance of Mouse Models for Clinical Management of irAEs - Treating Immune-Related Adverse Events: Integrating Insights from Clinical, Translational, and Basic Science. Panelist. MD Anderson IOTOX Symposium. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2024. Towards understanding the ontogeny of protective vs. pathogenic immune responses in PD-1-based immunotherapy. Invited. Junior Faculty Brainstorm Luncheon Seminar Series. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2024. PD-1 Immunotherapy – Mechanisms governing response, resistance, and immune-related adverse events in cancer. Invited. James P. Allison Institute Seminar Series. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2023. PD-1 immunotherapy: Interrogating immunological mechanisms associated with response, resistance, and toxicities in cancer. Invited. Melanoma Medical Oncology Department Research Seminar Series. Houston, TX, US.
- 2023. Uncovering the immunological drivers of protective immunity following PD-1 immunotherapy in cancer. Invited. Cancer Center Support Grant and Molecular and Cellular Oncology Distinguished Scientist Seminar Series. Houston, TX, US.
- 2023. Use of the TCR sequence as a molecular barcode to interrogate protective vs. pathogenic immune responses following checkpoint blockade. Invited. IOTOX Research Retreat. Houston, TX, US.
- 2023. Use of the TCR sequence as a molecular barcode to track T cells of interest in cancer and pathogenic immune-related events. Invited. IOTOX Research and Resources Seminar Series. Houston, TX, US.
- 2023. Deciphering immune mechanisms underlying skin toxicities caused by PD-1 immunotherapy in melanoma. Invited. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Research Town Hall. Houston, TX, US.
- 2023. Expanding the reach of PD-1 immunotherapy – Improving both efficacy and safety. Invited. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Research Town Hall. Houston, TX, US.
Regional Presentations
- 2024. T cell recruitment – Ramifications for protective vs. pathogenic immune responses following PD-1 immunotherapy. Invited. Gulf Coast Consortium Steering Committee Meeting. Houston, Texas, US.
National Presentations
- 2026. Migratory vs. tissue-resident leukocytes in checkpoint-induced irAEs. Invited. AACR General Meeting. San Diego, California, US.
- 2026. Thinking outside the tumor to maximize PD-1 immunotherapy response. Invited. Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center Friday Seminar Series. San Francisco, California, US.
- 2026. Checkpoint Immunotherapy in Melanoma – Managing anti-tumor immunity vs. immune-related adverse events in the skin. Invited. Pan-American Society for Pigment Cell Research (PASPCR) Annual Meeting. Tampa, Florida, US.
- 2025. Defining the immune microenvironment of checkpoint inhibitor-induced immune-related adverse events in the skin of melanoma patients. Invited. Melanoma Research Foundation Breakthrough Consortium Annual Meeting. Chicago, Illinois, US.
- 2024. Intravenous labeling to track mobilization of peripheral CD8 T cells to tumors following PD-1 immunotherapy. Invited. Inter-SPORE Research in Progess Meeting. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2023. The Peripheral Blood – A Window into Anti-Tumor T Cell Responses. Invited. Spring SITC Meeting. Host Immunity in Immunotherapy Responses: From Discoveries to Precision Oncology. Denver, Colorado, US.
- 2021. Use of the TCR as a molecular barcode to study circulating anti-tumor CD8+ T cells in mice and humans. Invited. Melanoma Research Conference Series, US.
- 2021. The PD-1 pathway in health and disease – Opportunities for single cell profiling to inform mechanisms of response. Invited. Immunai, US.
- 2021. Single-cell analyses characterize circulating anti-tumor CD8+ T cells in mice and humans and identify markers for their isolation. Invited. Microbiology and Immunology Postdoc Seminar Series, US.
- 2021. Single-cell analyses characterize circulating anti-tumor CD8+ T cells in mice and humans and identifymarkers for their enrichment. Invited. American Association of Immunologists (AAI) General Meeting, US.
- 2019. PD-1 modulation promotes anti-tumor immunity by improving metabolic fitness of both PD-1+ and PD-1- CD8+ T cells in the tumor. Invited. Keystone Symposium: Uncovering Mechanisms of Immune-Based Therapy in Cancer and Autoimmunity. Breckenridge, Colorado, US.
- 2019. Loss of PD-1 promotes anti-tumor immunity by improving functions of both PD-1+ and PD-1- CD8+ T cells in the tumor microenvironment. Invited. American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Meeting. Boston, Massachusetts, US.
- 2017. CD8+ T cell-independent mechanisms of PD-1-mediated suppression of anti-tumor immunity in mice. Invited. American Association of Immunologists (AAI) General Meeting. Washington, DC, US.
- 2014. Impact of PD-1 blockade on sustainability of exhausted CD8+ T cell responses. Invited. Cancer Research Institute General Meeting. New York, New York, US.
- 2014. Requirement for PD-1 in the induction and maintenance of tolerance differs depending on tolerogenic stimulus. Invited. American Association of Immunologists (AAI) General Meeting. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US.
- 2013. Re-evaluating the role of inhibitory receptors in suppressing T cells during autoimmunity. Invited. Graduate Women in Science, MN Chapter Meeting. Saint Paul, Minneseota, US.
- 2012. Role of the PD-1 pathway in regulating islet-reactive CD4 T cells in autoimmune diabetes. Invited. American Association for Immunologists (AAI) General Meeting. Boston, Massachusetts, US.
- 2011. Mechanisms involved in tolerance induction for the selective inhibition of autoreactive T cells during autoimmune diabetes. Invited. Autumn Immunology Conference. Chicago, Illinois, US.
- 2010. Role of PD-1 and CTLA-4 in the induction of tolerance during Type 1 Diabetes. Invited. Autumn Immunology Conference. Chicago, Illinois, US.
International Presentations
- 2025. Leveraging peripheral leukocyte recruitment to improve efficacy and mitigate toxicities following checkpoint blockade. Invited. AACR special conference - Mechanisms of cancer immunity and cancer-related autoimmunity. Montreal, CA.
- 2023. PD-1 Regulates Tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T Cells in Both a Cell-Intrinsic and Cell-Extrinsic Fashion. Invited. Keystone Symposium: Cancer Immunotherapy: Mechanisms of Response and Resistance. Alberta, CA.
- 2016. Epigenetic and transcriptional reprogramming of exhausted CD8 T cells following PD-1 pathway blockade. Invited. Keystone Symposium: Cell Biology and Immunology of Persistent Infection. Alberta, CA.
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Hornick NI, Billo A, Fey RM, Hawkins RM, Muhaj FF, Richards KN, Patel AB, Schenkel JM, Pauken KE, Moran AE. IGF1 modulates lesional skin inflammation in checkpoint inhibitor-induced lichen planus. bioRxiv, 2026. PMID: 42244739.
- DiLeo M, Oglesby S, Leung CH, Pauken KE, Farooq S, Haydu LE, Kubicki SL, Martinez R, Welborn M, Zahiruddin S, Zou J, Cao K, Patel AB. Retrospective analysis of cutaneous immune-related adverse events following checkpoint inhibitor therapy in melanoma patients reveals increased risk associated with the HLA-B*51:01 allele. Cancer 132(3):e70262, 2026. e-Pub 2026. PMID: 41563778.
- Saha A, Minowa T, Shavkunov AS, Salmon AJ, Keshari S, Jarjour NN, Pauken KE, Hu KH, Edelson BT, Chen K, Gubin MM. Bhlhe40 Coordinates T Cell Programs with Distinct CD4 and CD8 T Cell Requirements for Anti-PD-1 Versus Anti-CTLA-4. bioRxiv, 2025. PMID: 41279383.
- Pauken KE, Markson SC, Conway TS, Juneja VR, Shahid O, Burke KP, Rowe JH, Nguyen TH, Collier JL, Walsh JML, Fung ME, Luber JM, Ringel AE, Schenkel JM, Freeman GJ, Haigis MC, Singer M, Sharpe AH. PD-1 regulates tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells in both a cell-intrinsic and a cell-extrinsic fashion. J Exp Med 222(10), 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40705010.
- Qing X, Chakraborty B, Liu P, Artham S, Juras PK, Guan D, Pauken KE, Chang CY, Gao X. Dietary methionine restriction primes T cell metabolism for activation and tumor inhibition and enhances the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade. bioRxiv, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 41040376.
- Mahuron, KM, Shahid, O, Sao, P, Wu, C, Haugh, AM, Huppert, LA, Levine, LS, Lowe, MM, Alvarado, M, Micu, M, Tsai, KK, Chow, M, Singer, M, Schenkel, JM, Sharpe, AH, Rosenblum, MD, Pauken, KE, Daud, AI. Single-Cell Analyses Reveal a Functionally Heterogeneous Exhausted CD8+ T-cell Subpopulation That Is Correlated with Response to Checkpoint Therapy in Melanoma. Cancer Research 85(8):1424-1440, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40042995.
- Hagan NB, Inaku C, Kunder N, White T, Iraguha T, Meyer A, Pauken KE, Schenkel JM. In vivo antibody labeling route and fluorophore dictate labeling efficiency, sensitivity, and longevity. J Immunol 214(4):828-838, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40073090.
- Keshari S, Shavkunov AS, Miao Q, Saha A, Minowa T, Molgora M, Williams CD, Chaib M, Highsmith AM, Pineda JE, Alekseev S, Alspach E, Hu KH, Colonna M, Pauken KE, Chen K, Gubin MM. Comparing neoantigen cancer vaccines and immune checkpoint therapy unveils an effective vaccine and anti-TREM2 macrophage-targeting dual therapy. Cell Rep 43(11):114875, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39446585.
- Shanahan S, Kunder N, Inaku C, Hagan NB, Gibbons G, Mathey-Andrew N, Anandappa G, Soares S, Pauken KE, Jacks T, Schenkel JM. Longitudinal Intravascular Antibody Labeling Identified Regulatory T Cell Recruitment as a Therapeutic Target in a Mouse Model of Lung Cancer. Journal of Immunology 213(6):906-918, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39082930.
- Hagan NB, Inaku C, Kunder N, White T, Iraguha T, Meyer A, Pauken KE, Schenkel JM. In vivo antibody labeling route and fluorophore dictate labeling efficiency, sensitivity, and longevity. bioRxiv, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39149319.
- Keshari S, Shavkunov AS, Miao Q, Saha A, Williams CD, Highsmith AM, Pineda JE, Alspach E, Hu KH, Pauken KE, Chen K, Gubin MM. Neoantigen Cancer Vaccines and Different Immune Checkpoint Therapies Each Utilize Both Converging and Distinct Mechanisms that in Combination Enable Synergistic Therapeutic Efficacy. bioRxiv, 2024. PMID: 38187708.
- Moreno-Villanueva, M, Jimenez-Chavez, LE, Krieger, S, Ding, LH, Zhang, Y, Babiak-Vazquez, A, Berres, M, Splinter, S, Pauken, KE, Schaefer, BC, Crucian, B, Wu, H. Transcriptomics analysis reveals potential mechanisms underlying mitochondrial dysfunction and T cell exhaustion in astronauts’ blood cells in space. Frontiers in immunology 15, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39902046.
- Rowe JH, Elia I, Shahid O, Gaudiano EF, Sifnugel NE, Johnson S, Reynolds AG, Fung ME, Joshi S, LaFleur MW, Park JS, Pauken KE, Rabinowitz JD, Freeman GJ, Haigis MC, Sharpe AH. Formate supplementation enhances anti-tumor CD8+ T cell fitness and efficacy of PD-1 blockade. Cancer Discov 13(12):2566-2583, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37728660.
- Collier JL, Pauken KE, Lee CAA, Patterson DG, Markson SC, Conway TS, Fung ME, France JA, Mucciarone KN, Lian CG, Murphy GF, Sharpe AH. Single-cell profiling reveals unique features of diabetogenic T cells in anti-PD-1-induced type 1 diabetes mice. J Exp Med 220(10), 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37432393.
- Alvarez-Breckenridge C, Markson SC, Stocking JH, Nayyar N, Lastrapes M, Strickland MR, Kim AE, de Sauvage M, Dahal A, Larson JM, Mora JL, Navia AW, Klein RH, Kuter BM, Gill CM, Bertalan M, Shaw B, Kaplan A, Subramanian M, Jain A, Kumar S, Danish H, White M, Shahid O, Pauken KE, Miller BC, Frederick DT, Hebert C, Shaw M, Martinez-Lage M, Frosch M, Wang N, Gerstner E, Nahed BV, Curry WT, Carter B, Cahill DP, Boland GM, Izar B, Davies MA, Sharpe AH, Suvà ML, Sullivan RJ, Brastianos PK, Carter SL. Microenvironmental Landscape of Human Melanoma Brain Metastases in Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibition. Cancer Immunol Res 10(8):996-1012, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35706413.
- Lagattuta KA, Kang JB, Nathan A, Pauken KE, Jonsson AH, Rao DA, Sharpe AH, Ishigaki K, Raychaudhuri S. Repertoire analyses reveal T cell antigen receptor sequence features that influence T cell fate. Nat Immunol 23(3):446-457, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35177831.
- Schenkel JM, Herbst RH, Canner D, Li A, Hillman M, Shanahan SL, Gibbons G, Smith OC, Kim JY, Westcott P, Hwang WL, Freed-Pastor WA, Eng G, Cuoco MS, Rogers P, Park JK, Burger ML, Rozenblatt-Rosen O, Cong L, Pauken KE, Regev A, Jacks T. Conventional type I dendritic cells maintain a reservoir of proliferative tumor-antigen specific TCF-1+ CD8+ T cells in tumor-draining lymph nodes. Immunity 54(10):2338-2353.e6, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34534439.
- Pauken KE, Shahid O, Lagattuta KA, Mahuron KM, Luber JM, Lowe MM, Huang L, Delaney C, Long JM, Fung ME, Newcomer K, Tsai KK, Chow M, Guinn S, Kuchroo JR, Burke KP, Schenkel JM, Rosenblum MD, Daud AI, Sharpe AH, Singer M. Single-cell analyses identify circulating anti-tumor CD8 T cells and markers for their enrichment. J Exp Med 218(4), 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33651880.
- Lo JA, Kawakubo M, Juneja VR, Su MY, Erlich TH, LaFleur MW, Kemeny LV, Rashid M, Malehmir M, Rabi SA, Raghavan R, Allouche J, Kasumova G, Frederick DT, Pauken KE, Weng QY, Pereira da Silva M, Xu Y, van der Sande AAJ, Silkworth W, Roider E, Browne EP, Lieb DJ, Wang B, Garraway LA, Wu CJ, Flaherty KT, Brinckerhoff CE, Mullins DW, Adams DJ, Hacohen N, Hoang MP, Boland GM, Freeman GJ, Sharpe AH, Manstein D, Fisher DE. Epitope spreading toward wild-type melanocyte-lineage antigens rescues suboptimal immune checkpoint blockade responses. Sci Transl Med 13(581), 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33597266.
- Johnnidis JB, Muroyama Y, Ngiow SF, Chen Z, Manne S, Cai Z, Song S, Platt JM, Schenkel JM, Abdel-Hakeem M, Beltra JC, Greenplate AR, Ali MA, Nzingha K, Giles JR, Harly C, Attanasio J, Pauken KE, Bengsch B, Paley MA, Tomov VT, Kurachi M, Vignali DAA, Sharpe AH, Reiner SL, Bhandoola A, Johnson FB, Wherry EJ. Inhibitory signaling sustains a distinct early memory CD8+ T cell precursor that is resistant to DNA damage. Sci Immunol 6(55), 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33452106.
- Chen IX, Newcomer K, Pauken KE, Juneja VR, Naxerova K, Wu MW, Pinter M, Sen DR, Singer M, Sharpe AH, Jain RK. A bilateral tumor model identifies transcriptional programs associated with patient response to immune checkpoint blockade. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 117(38):23684-23694, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32907939.
- Pauken KE, Godec J, Odorizzi PM, Brown KE, Yates KB, Ngiow SF, Burke KP, Maleri S, Grande SM, Francisco LM, Ali MA, Imam S, Freeman GJ, Haining WN, Wherry EJ, Sharpe AH. The PD-1 Pathway Regulates Development and Function of Memory CD8+ T Cells following Respiratory Viral Infection. Cell Rep 31(13):107827, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32610128.
- Osum KC, Burrack AL, Martinov T, Sahli NL, Mitchell JS, Tucker CG, Pauken KE, Papas K, Appakalai B, Spanier JA, Fife BT. Interferon-gamma drives programmed death-ligand 1 expression on islet β cells to limit T cell function during autoimmune diabetes. Sci Rep 8(1):8295, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29844327.
- Huang AC, Postow MA, Orlowski RJ, Mick R, Bengsch B, Manne S, Xu W, Harmon S, Giles JR, Wenz B, Adamow M, Kuk D, Panageas KS, Carrera C, Wong P, Quagliarello F, Wubbenhorst B, D'Andrea K, Pauken KE, Herati RS, Staupe RP, Schenkel JM, McGettigan S, Kothari S, George SM, Vonderheide RH, Amaravadi RK, Karakousis GC, Schuchter LM, Xu X, Nathanson KL, Wolchok JD, Gangadhar TC, Wherry EJ. T-cell invigoration to tumour burden ratio associated with anti-PD-1 response. Nature 545(7652):60-65, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28397821.
- Pauken KE, Sammons MA, Odorizzi PM, Manne S, Godec J, Khan O, Drake AM, Chen Z, Sen DR, Kurachi M, Barnitz RA, Bartman C, Bengsch B, Huang AC, Schenkel JM, Vahedi G, Haining WN, Berger SL, Wherry EJ. Epigenetic stability of exhausted T cells limits durability of reinvigoration by PD-1 blockade. Science 354(6316):1160-1165, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27789795.
- Benci JL, Xu B, Qiu Y, Wu TJ, Dada H, Twyman-Saint Victor C, Cucolo L, Lee DSM, Pauken KE, Huang AC, Gangadhar TC, Amaravadi RK, Schuchter LM, Feldman MD, Ishwaran H, Vonderheide RH, Maity A, Wherry EJ, Minn AJ. Tumor Interferon Signaling Regulates a Multigenic Resistance Program to Immune Checkpoint Blockade. Cell 167(6):1540-1554.e12, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27912061.
- Bengsch B, Johnson AL, Kurachi M, Odorizzi PM, Pauken KE, Attanasio J, Stelekati E, McLane LM, Paley MA, Delgoffe GM, Wherry EJ. Bioenergetic Insufficiencies Due to Metabolic Alterations Regulated by the Inhibitory Receptor PD-1 Are an Early Driver of CD8(+) T Cell Exhaustion. Immunity 45(2):358-73, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27496729.
- Manlove LS, Schenkel JM, Manlove KR, Pauken KE, Williams RT, Vezys V, Farrar MA. Heterologous Vaccination and Checkpoint Blockade Synergize To Induce Antileukemia Immunity. J Immunol 196(11):4793-804, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27183622.
- Schenkel JM, Fraser KA, Casey KA, Beura LK, Pauken KE, Vezys V, Masopust D. IL-15-Independent Maintenance of Tissue-Resident and Boosted Effector Memory CD8 T Cells. J Immunol 196(9):3920-6, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27001957.
- Kalekar LA, Schmiel SE, Nandiwada SL, Lam WY, Barsness LO, Zhang N, Stritesky GL, Malhotra D, Pauken KE, Linehan JL, O'Sullivan MG, Fife BT, Hogquist KA, Jenkins MK, Mueller DL. CD4(+) T cell anergy prevents autoimmunity and generates regulatory T cell precursors. Nat Immunol 17(3):304-14, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 26829766.
- Martinov T, Spanier JA, Pauken KE, Fife BT. PD-1 pathway-mediated regulation of islet-specific CD4+ T cell subsets in autoimmune diabetes. Immunoendocrinology (Houst) 3, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27656680.
- Manlove LS, Berquam-Vrieze KE, Pauken KE, Williams RT, Jenkins MK, Farrar MA. Adaptive Immunity to Leukemia Is Inhibited by Cross-Reactive Induced Regulatory T Cells. J Immunol 195(8):4028-37, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26378075.
- Gupta PK, Godec J, Wolski D, Adland E, Yates K, Pauken KE, Cosgrove C, Ledderose C, Junger WG, Robson SC, Wherry EJ, Alter G, Goulder PJ, Klenerman P, Sharpe AH, Lauer GM, Haining WN. CD39 Expression Identifies Terminally Exhausted CD8+ T Cells. PLoS Pathog 11(10):e1005177, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26485519.
- Odorizzi PM, Pauken KE, Paley MA, Sharpe A, Wherry EJ. Genetic absence of PD-1 promotes accumulation of terminally differentiated exhausted CD8+ T cells. J Exp Med 212(7):1125-37, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26034050.
- Twyman-Saint Victor C, Rech AJ, Maity A, Rengan R, Pauken KE, Stelekati E, Benci JL, Xu B, Dada H, Odorizzi PM, Herati RS, Mansfield KD, Patsch D, Amaravadi RK, Schuchter LM, Ishwaran H, Mick R, Pryma DA, Xu X, Feldman MD, Gangadhar TC, Hahn SM, Wherry EJ, Vonderheide RH, Minn AJ. Radiation and dual checkpoint blockade activate non-redundant immune mechanisms in cancer. Nature 520(7547):373-7, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 25754329.
- Pauken KE, Nelson CE, Martinov T, Spanier JA, Heffernan JR, Sahli NL, Quarnstrom CF, Osum KC, Schenkel JM, Jenkins MK, Blazar BR, Vezys V, Fife BT. Cutting edge: identification of autoreactive CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets resistant to PD-1 pathway blockade. J Immunol 194(8):3551-3555, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 25769925.
- Schenkel JM, Fraser KA, Beura LK, Pauken KE, Vezys V, Masopust D. T cell memory. Resident memory CD8 T cells trigger protective innate and adaptive immune responses. Science 346(6205):98-101, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 25170049.
- Pauken KE, Linehan JL, Spanier JA, Sahli NL, Kalekar LA, Binstadt BA, Moon JJ, Mueller DL, Jenkins MK, Fife BT. Cutting edge: type 1 diabetes occurs despite robust anergy among endogenous insulin-specific CD4 T cells in NOD mice. J Immunol 191(10):4913-7, 2013. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 24123682.
- Pauken KE, Jenkins MK, Azuma M, Fife BT. PD-1, but not PD-L1, expressed by islet-reactive CD4+ T cells suppresses infiltration of the pancreas during type 1 diabetes. Diabetes 62(8):2859-69, 2013. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 23545706.
- Fife BT, Pauken KE, Eagar TN, Obu T, Wu J, Tang Q, Azuma M, Krummel MF, Bluestone JA. Interactions between PD-1 and PD-L1 promote tolerance by blocking the TCR-induced stop signal. Nat Immunol 10(11):1185-92, 2009. e-Pub 2009. PMID: 19783989.
- Wheat WH, Pauken KE, Morris RV, Titus RG. Lutzomyia longipalpis salivary peptide maxadilan alters murine dendritic cell expression of CD80/86, CCR7, and cytokine secretion and reprograms dendritic cell-mediated cytokine release from cultures containing allogeneic T cells. J Immunol 180(12):8286-98, 2008. e-Pub 2008. PMID: 18523295.
Invited Articles
- Pauken KE, Wherry EJ. SnapShot: T Cell Exhaustion. Cell 163(4):1038-1038.e1, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26544946.
- Pauken KE, Wherry EJ. TIGIT and CD226: tipping the balance between costimulatory and coinhibitory molecules to augment the cancer immunotherapy toolkit. Cancer Cell 26(6):785-787, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 25490444.
Review Articles
- Pauken, KE, Alhalabi, O, Goswami, S, Sharma, P. Neoadjuvant immune checkpoint therapy. Cancer cell 43(4):623-640, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40118048.
- Goswami S, Pauken KE, Wang L, Sharma P. Next-generation combination approaches for immune checkpoint therapy. Nat Immunol 25(12):2186-2199, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39587347.
- Schenkel JM, Pauken KE. Localization, tissue biology and T cell state - implications for cancer immunotherapy. Nat Rev Immunol 23(12):807-823, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37253877.
- Pauken KE, Lagattuta KA, Lu BY, Lucca LE, Daud AI, Hafler DA, Kluger HM, Raychaudhuri S, Sharpe AH. TCR-sequencing in cancer and autoimmunity: barcodes and beyond. Trends Immunol 43(3):180-194, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35090787.
- Collier JL, Weiss SA, Pauken KE, Sen DR, Sharpe AH. Not-so-opposite ends of the spectrum: CD8+ T cell dysfunction across chronic infection, cancer and autoimmunity. Nat Immunol 22(7):809-819, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34140679.
- Pauken KE, Torchia JA, Chaudhri A, Sharpe AH, Freeman GJ. Emerging concepts in PD-1 checkpoint biology. Semin Immunol 52:101480, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34006473.
- Pauken KE, Dougan M, Rose NR, Lichtman AH, Sharpe AH. Adverse Events Following Cancer Immunotherapy: Obstacles and Opportunities. Trends Immunol 40(6):511-523, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31053497.
- Sharpe AH, Pauken KE. The diverse functions of the PD1 inhibitory pathway. Nat Rev Immunol 18(3):153-167, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 28990585.
- Pauken KE, Wherry EJ. Overcoming T cell exhaustion in infection and cancer. Trends Immunol 36(4):265-76, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 25797516.
- Fife BT, Pauken KE. The role of the PD-1 pathway in autoimmunity and peripheral tolerance. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1217:45-59, 2011. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 21276005.
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified August 16, 2026