معرفی
Susan Kaech is a Professor and Director of the NOMIS Center for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, holding the NOMIS Chair. Her work focuses on understanding how memory T cells form, interact with tissues, and adapt to chronic diseases like cancer. She investigates T cell metabolism, tumor microenvironment interactions, and immune evasion mechanisms. Key contributions include discoveries on IL-7-driven memory T cell formation and metabolic control of T cell function.
Education: BS in Cellular and Molecular Biology (University of Washington), PhD in Developmental Biology (Stanford University). Affiliated with the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance and Multiple Sclerosis Research Collaborative.
Research emphasizes long-term immunity, cancer immunotherapy, and T cell exhaustion. Major findings include metabolic crosstalk between tumors and T cells, roles of scavenger receptors (CD36) in tumor progression, and neuroimmune interactions in the brain. Her lab uses genetic tools, single-cell profiling, and mouse models to explore these areas.
Awards include National Academy of Sciences membership (2024), American Academy of Arts & Sciences (2023), and multiple cancer research grants. Her work bridges immunology, metabolism, and oncology, with implications for vaccine design and cancer therapy.
Publications highlight recent advances in hypoxia-driven resistance to checkpoint inhibitors, bile acid impacts on liver cancer, and dietary ketolysis enhancing anti-tumor immunity. Ongoing projects explore brain-resident T cells, diet-cancer immunity links, and STING pathway activation in tumors.
