Karen Bhatt

Karen Bhatt has made seminal contributions to understanding TGF-beta as a major immunosuppressive cytokine in cancer that promotes Treg differentiation, suppresses cytotoxic lymphocytes, and drives stromal remodeling. Her research has characterized TGF-beta signaling pathways in the tumor microenvironment and identified key downstream effectors of immunosuppression. She has developed and evaluated TGF-beta inhibitors and TGF-beta/PD-1 bispecific antibodies in preclinical tumor models. Her translational work is advancing TGF-beta pathway targeting as a strategy to overcome immunotherapy resistance.