Todd Schell

Dr. Todd Schell is a Professor in the Department of Cell and Biological Systems at Penn State University's College of Medicine, where he also serves as Faculty Director of the Flow Cytometry Core Facility. His research focuses on immune-based cancer therapies, particularly strategies to enhance tumor-reactive T-lymphocyte persistence and function within the tumor microenvironment across brain, pancreatic, prostate, and skin cancers. He investigates adoptive T-cell therapies and combination approaches involving CD40/PD-1 antibodies, radiation, and beta-blockers, while leading translational studies in metastatic melanoma to identify patient characteristics predicting durable clinical responses.

• PhD, West Virginia University School of Medicine (1995)
• Postdoctoral Training, Penn State College of Medicine (1999)

Research spans:

• Tumor immunology and T-cell engineering
• Antibody-based immune modulation (e.g., CD40/PD-1)
• Stress and neuroendocrine factors in immunity
• Cancer prevention via aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibition

Recent publications emphasize immunotherapy advancements (2025), anti-leukemia dendritic cell engineering (2025), and p53 pathway interactions with NK cell immunity (2025), alongside novel aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitors (2024). His work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals for health and well-being.

Active grants include:

• Targeting Aldehyde Dehydrogenase for Cancer Prevention (NIH/NCI: 2020-2024)
• Neuroendocrine Modulation of T-cell Immunity (NIAID: 2009-2010)
• CD8+ T-cell Immunotherapy for SV40 Tumor Models (NCI: 1985-2015)