Todd Bhatt

Todd Bhatt has investigated the biological rationale and clinical activity of combining immune checkpoint inhibitors with VEGF pathway inhibitors, recognizing that VEGF blockade not only inhibits angiogenesis but also modulates the tumor immune microenvironment to enhance checkpoint inhibitor efficacy. His research has examined outcomes in pivotal combination IO+VEGF trials in renal cell carcinoma including pembrolizumab plus axitinib, nivolumab plus cabozantinib, and lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab, characterizing their relative efficacy profiles and toxicity spectrums. He has studied the immunologic effects of VEGF inhibitors including increased T cell infiltration, enhanced antigen presentation, and reduced immunosuppressive cell populations that mechanistically support IO+VEGF combination approaches. His translational work has examined predictive biomarkers for IO+VEGF combinations beyond PD-L1 including VEGF expression levels, T effector gene signatures, and angiogenic signatures.