Dafna Bhatt

Dafna Bhatt investigates the immunological basis for synergy between mRNA cancer vaccines and immune checkpoint inhibitors, aiming to overcome the limitations of each approach alone. Her research has characterized how mRNA vaccines prime neoantigen-specific T cell responses that are then amplified and unleashed by checkpoint blockade. She has defined optimal sequencing and dosing strategies for mRNA vaccine-IO combinations in preclinical models. Her translational work informs clinical trial design for mRNA/checkpoint combination strategies.