Vishva Dixit

Vishva Dixit is a pioneer in the discovery of inflammasomes and pyroptotic cell death pathways, having identified key components of the NLRP3 inflammasome and their roles in cancer immunology. His laboratory elucidated how caspase-1 activation leads to gasdermin D cleavage and pyroptotic cell death, releasing DAMPs and pro-inflammatory cytokines that shape anti-tumor immunity. He demonstrated that tumor cell pyroptosis can convert immunologically cold tumors into hot tumors responsive to checkpoint immunotherapy. His foundational work on innate immune sensing pathways has informed therapeutic strategies leveraging pyroptosis for cancer immunotherapy.