Richard G. Vile

Richard G. Vile, Ph.D., is a Professor of Immunology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, with primary appointments as Consultant in the Department of Molecular Medicine and joint appointment in the Department of Immunology. He is also the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation Professor, an honor awarded in 2008. His research is centered on developing innovative cancer immunotherapies, particularly through oncolytic virotherapy, CAR T-cell therapy, and combination strategies with radiotherapy.

Dr. Vile’s research focuses on stimulating antitumor immune responses using murine immune-competent models and syngeneic tumors. His work spans multiple cancer types, including melanoma, prostate cancer, glioma, brain metastases, and hepatocellular carcinoma. A major innovation from his lab is engineering vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) to express tumor antigen libraries, enhancing immune recognition and destruction of tumors.

His recent publications reveal a strong emphasis on enhancing CAR T-cell efficacy, overcoming immune evasion, and combining oncolytic viruses with checkpoint inhibitors. These studies highlight his leadership in advancing immunovirotherapeutic strategies for solid tumors, particularly through genetic engineering of viral vectors and immune cell therapies.

• The Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation Professor (2008)

Dr. Vile has secured substantial research funding from the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, supporting active projects into 2026. He is directly involved in clinical translation, including an ongoing trial for hepatocellular carcinoma using a VSV-based therapy. He mentors a research team and collaborates internationally, particularly with researchers in the UK. His lab is part of the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center and the David F. and Margaret T. Grohne Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapeutics Program.