Kevin C. Barry

Kevin C. Barry, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Public Health Sciences Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. He holds affiliate appointments in the Department of Immunology at the University of Washington and is a member of the Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center (IIRC) and Molecular & Cellular Biology Program. His research focuses on innate immune responses to cancer.

Education includes:

• Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of California, San Francisco (2015-2019)
• PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley (2009-2015)
• BS in Biochemistry, University of Washington (2003-2007)

Dr. Barry investigates how natural killer (NK) cells and dendritic cells regulate immune responses to cancer, particularly in melanoma and fibrolamellar carcinoma. His lab discovered an NK-dendritic cell axis that predicts immunotherapy response and survival in melanoma patients. Current research uses intravital imaging, single-cell RNAseq, and human tumor profiling to develop novel immunotherapies targeting innate immune pathways.

Publications consistently focus on tumor immunology, exploring: (1) Mechanisms of immunosuppression in tumor microenvironments; (2) Biomarkers for immunotherapy response; (3) NK-dendritic cell interactions; and (4) Rare cancers like fibrolamellar carcinoma. Recent work emphasizes spatial biology and combination therapies.

Awards and grants:

• Young Investigator Award, Melanoma Research Alliance (2023)
• Research Scholar Grant, American Cancer Society (2023)

Dr. Barry leads an active lab with 2 PhD students, 1 postdoctoral researcher, and technical staff. The team collaborates with clinicians and uses murine cancer models, human immunology, and computational approaches. Current projects investigate hypoxia's role in NK cell function and CXCR4/PD-1 combination therapy for liver cancer.