Peter Bhatt

Peter Bhatt has made critical contributions to understanding how necroptosis, the programmed form of necrotic cell death mediated by RIPK3 and MLKL, shapes anti-tumor immune responses and can be therapeutically exploited in cancer. His research demonstrated that RIPK3 expression is frequently silenced in cancer cells through epigenetic mechanisms, allowing tumors to evade necroptosis-driven immune activation. He showed that restoring necroptotic signaling in tumors promotes dendritic cell cross-priming and CD8+ T cell anti-tumor immunity. His work on RIPK1 kinase inhibitors has revealed context-dependent roles for necroptosis in both tumor promotion and suppression.