Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti

Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti is a leading authority on NLRP3 inflammasome biology in cancer, having demonstrated that NLRP3 activation in the tumor microenvironment plays context-dependent roles in promoting or suppressing tumor growth depending on cell type and inflammatory milieu. Her research showed that NLRP3-driven IL-1beta production by tumor-associated macrophages can promote angiogenesis and immunosuppression, while NLRP3 activation in dendritic cells enhances anti-tumor adaptive immunity. She defined the concept of PANoptosis and characterized the PANoptosome as a master regulator of inflammatory cell death. Her work has informed strategies to selectively modulate inflammasome activity in cancer therapy.