Thomas Bhatt

Thomas Bhatt investigates natural killer cell-mediated innate immune surveillance of cancer and mechanisms by which tumors evade NK cell killing. His research has characterized the regulation of NKG2D stress ligands on cancer cells and the mechanisms of NKG2D ligand shedding that tumors use to escape NK surveillance. He has developed strategies to restore NKG2D ligand expression on cancer cells through inhibition of PI3K delta signaling and epigenetic modulation. His translational work has informed NK cell-based immunotherapy approaches that harness innate immune killing mechanisms against cancer.