Pradeep Shrestha
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatrics
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Instructor, Department of Pediatrics - Research, Division of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2020 | University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, US, Microbiology and Immunology, PhD |
| 2017 | University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, US, Microbiology and Immunology, MS |
Postgraduate Training
| 2020-2025 | Postdoctoral Fellow, Cancer immunotherapy, Osteosarcoma lung metastasis, Epigenetic modulation, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center |
Experience & Service
Editorial Activities
Review Editor, Biomolecules (MDPI)
Review Editor, Cells (MDPI)
Review Editor, International Journal of Molecular Sciences (MDPI)
Review Editor, Frontiers in Immunology
Reviewer, Advanced Sciences
Honors & Awards
| 2015 - 2017 | IPIBS Graduate Fellowship, University of Louisville |
| 2012 - 2013 | Dissertation Grant, University Grant Commissions, Bhaktapur, Nepal |
| Korean Government Scholarship Program | |
| Travel award, AAI | |
| Graduate Dean’s Citation Award | |
| Department of Microbiology & Immunology Chairman’s Citation | |
| CPRIT TRIUMPH Postdoctoral fellowship | |
| Odyssey Fellowship, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center | |
| Travel award, MIB Agents |
Professional Memberships
Selected Presentations & Talks
International Presentations
- 2024. Activation of immune response with beta-glucan and CD40 agonist as a novel immunotherapeutic approach against osteosarcoma lung metastasis. Poster. SITC 2024. Houston, US.
- 2024. Combination of beta-glucan and CD40 agonist as a novel immunotherapeutic approach against osteosarcoma lung metastasis. Poster. SIOP 2024. Honolulu, US.
Grant & Contract Support
| Date: | 2026 - Present |
| Title: | Potentiating cancer immunotherapy for osteosarcoma with hyperactivated dendritic cells |
| Funding Source: | American Cancer Society |
| Role: | PI |
| Date: | 2026 - 2028 |
| Title: | Harnessing conventional type 1 dendritic cell-based cancer immunotherapy against osteosarcoma |
| Funding Source: | DOD |
| Role: | PI |
| Date: | 2025 - 2026 |
| Title: | Targeting Osteosarcoma lung metastases with conventional type 1 dendritic cell- based immunotherapy |
| Funding Source: | Elsa U Pardee Foundation |
| Role: | PI |
| Date: | 2022 - 2023 |
| Title: | Activating immune response by a natural compound beta-glucan and anti-CD47 antibody to control osteosarcoma-lung metastasis |
| Funding Source: | •Enzo & ME PCRF (Children Oncology Group) |
| Role: | Co-PI |
| Date: | 2022 - 2023 |
| Title: | Modulation of tumor immune microenvironment by targeting STAT3 and CD47- SIRPα axis for the treatment of osteosarcoma-lung metastasis |
| Funding Source: | •Sarcoma Foundation of America |
| Role: | PI |
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Shrestha, P, Shrestha, R, Kleinerman, ES. Inhibition of osteosarcoma lung metastases by β-glucan and CD40 agonist is mediated by activation of macrophages and NK cells. Journal for immunotherapy of cancer 13(10), 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 41083282.
- Shrestha P, Shrestha R, Zhou Y, Zielinski R, Priebe W, Kleinerman ES. STAT3 inhibition in combination with CD47 blockade inhibits osteosarcoma lung metastasis. Frontiers in Immunology, 2025. e-Pub 2025.
- Shrestha, P, Turan, A, Batra, L, Gulen, AE, Sun, Z, Tan, H, Askenasy, N, Shirwan, H, Yolcu, ES. Engineering donor lymphocytes with Fas ligand protein effectively prevents acute graft-versus-host disease. Blood Advances 7(10):2181-2195, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 36780582.
- Bhagat A, Shrestha P, Jeyabal P, Peng Z, Watowich SS, Kleinerman ES. Doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity is mediated by neutrophils through release of neutrophil elastase. Frontiers in Oncology, 2022. e-Pub 2022.
- Shrestha P, Batra L, Tariq Malik M, Tan M, Yolcu ES, Shirwan H. Immune checkpoint CD47 molecule engineered islets mitigate instant blood‐mediated inflammatory reaction and show improved engraftment following intraportal transplantation. American Journal of Transplantation, 2020. e-Pub 2020.
- Batra L, Shrestha P, Zhao H, Woodward KB, Togay A, Tan M, Grimany-Nuno O, Malik MT, Coronel MM, García AJ, Shirwan H. Localized Immunomodulation with PD-L1 Results in Sustained Survival and Function of Allogeneic Islets without Chronic Immunosuppression. The Journal of Immunology, 2020. e-Pub 2020.
- Woodward KB, Zhao H, Shrestha P, Batra L, Tan M, Grimany‐Nuno O, Bandura‐Morgan L, Askenasy N, Shirwan H, Yolcu ES. Pancreatic islets engineered with a FasL protein induce systemic tolerance at the induction phase that evolves into long‐term graft‐localized immune privilege. American Journal of Transplantation, 2019. e-Pub 2019.
- Yerneni SS, Lathwal S, Shrestha P, Shirwan H, Matyjaszewski K, Weiss L, Yolcu ES, Campbell PG, Das SR. Rapid On-Demand Extracellular Vesicle Augmentation with Versatile Oligonucleotide Tethers. ACS nano, 2019. e-Pub 2019.
- Barsoumian HB, Batra L, Shrestha P, Bowen WS, Zhao H, Egilmez NK, Gomez-Gutierrez JG, Yolcu ES, Shirwan H. A Novel Form of 4-1BBL Prevents Cancer Development via Nonspecific Activation of CD4+ T and Natural Killer Cells. Cancer research, 2019. e-Pub 2019.
- Headen DM, Woodward KB, Coronel MM, Shrestha P, Weaver JD, Zhao H, Tan M, Hunckler MD, Bowen WS, Johnson CT, Shea L. Local immunomodulation with Fas ligand-engineered biomaterials achieves allogeneic islet graft acceptance. Nature materials, 2018. e-Pub 2018.
Review Articles
- Bhagat A, Shrestha P, Kleinerman ES. The Innate Immune System in Cardiovascular Diseases and Its Role in Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2022. e-Pub 2022.
- Williams C. L, Yolcu E. S, Woodward K B, Zhao H, Bowen W S, Shrestha P, Batra L, Askenasy N, Shirwan H. FasL mediated apoptosis as an effective means of inducing tolerance to allogenic pancreatic islets. Turkish J Biochem, 2016. e-Pub 2016.
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified March 30, 2026