Jonathan S. Serody

Jonathan S. Serody, MD, serves as the Elizabeth Thomas Professor of Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. He holds multiple leadership positions including Division Chief of Hematology, Associate Director for Translational Science at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Director of the Cellular Therapy Program. His clinical work focuses on bone marrow and stem cell transplantation, with expertise in leukemia, lymphoma, and malignant hematology.

• Elizabeth Thomas Professor of Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology (2006-present)
• Division Chief, Hematology (current)
• Associate Director for Translational Science, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Director, Cellular Therapy Program
• Member, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

Dr. Serody's research program centers on transplantation immunology and cancer immunotherapy development. His laboratory pioneered key discoveries in graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) pathogenesis, including the critical role of chemokines in T-cell migration during GVHD and the function of regulatory T-cells in organ-specific GVHD. More recently, his work has expanded to developing novel immunotherapies for solid tumors, with significant contributions to CAR-T cell therapy enhancement through STING pathway activation and nanoparticle delivery systems.

• First demonstrated chemokine involvement in GVHD effector phase
• Discovered CCR5's role in CD4+/CD8+ T-cell differentiation during GVHD
• Identified Th17 cells as mediators of multi-organ GVHD
• Developed CAR-T cells from Th17/Tc17 cells combined with STING agonists for solid tumors
• Discovered NLRP3's role in blocking cancer vaccine efficacy through MDSC recruitment
• Established B-cell importance in immune checkpoint inhibitor response for breast cancer

Dr. Serody's laboratory maintains active collaborations with multiple research groups including the Van Deventer laboratory, CVI, and Dr. Charles Perou's lab. His team has developed advanced imaging techniques for tracking immune cell migration in vivo, including intravital microscopy of eGFP transgenic T-cells. Current clinical trials in his program include testing HER-2/neu vaccine therapy combined with conventional treatment for metastatic breast cancer, with promising early survival data.

Awarded the prestigious Hyman L. Battle Distinguished Cancer Research Award in 2023, Dr. Serody maintains editorial roles with Blood (2011-present) and previously with Journal of Clinical Oncology (2009-2012). His leadership extends to serving on the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society TRP Grant Review Group since 2005 and as member of the SPORE Parent Committee.

As clinical director of the Advanced Cellular Therapeutics Facility (recently accredited without deficiency citations by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy), Dr. Serody oversees cutting-edge cellular therapy programs. His educational background includes MD from University of Virginia (1986), residency in Internal Medicine at UNC Chapel Hill (1989), and fellowships in Hematology/Oncology (1994), Infectious Diseases (1992), and Bone Marrow Transplantation at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (1993).