Kurt Schalper

Kurt Schalper, MD, PhD is an Associate Professor of Pathology at Yale School of Medicine and Director of the Translational Immuno-Oncology Laboratory (T.I.L.) at Yale Cancer Center. His primary appointment is in the Department of Pathology with secondary appointments in Medical Oncology and Hematology. Dr. Schalper maintains affiliations with multiple cancer research entities including the Cancer Immunology Program, Yale Center for Immuno-Oncology, and the Yale Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS).

Dr. Schalper trained as a cell biologist and surgical pathologist, completing his MD at San Sebastian University (2003) and PhD at Universidad Catolica de Chile (2008). His postdoctoral work at Yale focused on developing quantitative strategies to measure immunotherapy-related biomarkers in immune cells and cancer tissues.

His research centers on understanding the immunobiology of human solid tumors, particularly lung cancer, with emphasis on immune evasion mechanisms, tumor microenvironment dynamics, and biomarker development for immunotherapy response prediction. Current scientific interests include tumor immune heterogeneity, editing, and the role of specific tumor antigens and immune evasion pathways in lung malignancies.

Analysis of Dr. Schalper's recent publications reveals a strong focus on immuno-oncology, particularly in lung cancer. His work spans biomarker development, mechanisms of immunotherapy resistance, tumor microenvironment characterization, and clinical translation of immunotherapeutic approaches. Notable themes include the investigation of KEAP1/STK11-related resistance, IL-4 mediated immune evasion, and strategies to overcome immunotherapy resistance through combination approaches.

Dr. Schalper collaborates extensively with Yale researchers, particularly with Dr. David Rimm (57 common publications), Dr. Roy S. Herbst (35 common publications), Dr. Scott Gettinger (14 common publications), and Dr. Sarah Goldberg (12 common publications). His work appears in high-impact journals including Nature, Journal of Clinical Investigation, and Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology.

As Director of the Translational Immuno-Oncology Laboratory, Dr. Schalper leads efforts to produce and support high-quality translational research in immuno-oncology through standardized biomarker analyses and integration with Yale resources. His laboratory focuses on developing quantitative methods for immunotherapy biomarker assessment and understanding mechanisms of response and resistance to cancer immunotherapies.