Evanthia Roussos Torres

Evanthia Roussos Torres, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Cancer Biology at the University of Southern California (USC), leading the Tumor Immunology and Microenvironment (TIME) Program. She holds a BS in Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics and a BA in World Arts and Cultures from UCLA, followed by an MD/PhD from Albert Einstein College of Medicine. After residency at the University of Pennsylvania and fellowship training at Penn and Johns Hopkins, she transitioned to faculty roles at Johns Hopkins before joining USC. Her research focuses on immune-oncology, particularly breast cancer immunotherapy and tumor microenvironment dynamics.

Research Interests:

• Modulating myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) to enhance checkpoint inhibitor efficacy.
• Racial disparities in immune response and tumor microenvironment heterogeneity.
• Novel therapeutics targeting immunosuppressive pathways in metastatic breast cancer.
• Epigenetic modulation (e.g., entinostat) to reprogram tumor immunity.

Funding & Awards:

• Recipient of METAvivor Early Career Investigator Award and Concern Foundation grants.
• Supported by Tower Research Foundation, Wright Foundation, and USC programs.
• Focus on translational research addressing health disparities in breast cancer outcomes.

Lab & Collaborations:

Her lab at USC (https://sites.usc.edu/roussostorreslab/) collaborates with clinicians and scientists to advance immunotherapy strategies. Key projects include spatial proteomics analysis (IMmuneCite), metastatic niche modeling, and clinical trials evaluating entinostat combinations.

Grants & Clinical Trials:

• Leading trials on epigenetic modulators and checkpoint inhibitors for HER2-negative breast cancer.
• Investigating biomarkers for response to immunotherapy in TNBC and hormone receptor-positive subtypes.