Michael Bhatt

Michael Bhatt focuses on the transcriptional and epigenetic programs that enforce T cell exhaustion and limit reinvigoration by immune checkpoint blockade. His research has characterized how TOX and NR4A family transcription factors cooperate to establish stable exhaustion epigenomes in tumor-infiltrating T cells. He demonstrated that these epigenetic programs persist after checkpoint blockade, explaining why IO responses can be incomplete. His laboratory is developing strategies to epigenetically reprogramme exhausted T cells for improved IO outcomes.