Human Oncology & Pathogenesis Program

The Christopher Klebanoff Lab

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Research

Christopher A. Klebanoff
Christopher A. Klebanoff, MD
Assistant Attending and Member, IOS-HOPP

A form of cancer immunotherapy termed adoptive T cell transfer (ACT), in which a patient’s own T cells are engineered to recognize and attack cancer cells, can induce durable complete remissions in patients with advanced hematologic malignancies. By contrast, a similar approach has thus far failed to work in most patients with solid malignancies, the leading cause of adult cancer-related deaths. Two critical gaps in knowledge have limited the ability of ACT to be successfully applied to solid cancers: 1) understanding which antigens on the surface of cancer cells can be targeted by T cells that do not have the potential to cross- react with and injure normal tissues, and 2) insight into what factor(s) restrain the ability of transferred T cells to infiltrate, expand, and persist within a solid tumor mass. Using diverse techniques, including single-cell sequencing, biophysical measurements of T cell receptor (TCR) affinity, genetic engineering, and structural immunobiology, the Klebanoff laboratory seeks to address both factors currently limiting the application of ACT for advanced solid cancers.

Research Projects

The Christopher Klebanoff Lab

Featured News

In the Lab
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CAR T Cells Get an Invisibility Cloak
Research is focusing on ways to help cancer-fighting immune cells stick around longer, boosting their effectiveness.

Publications Highlights

Klebanoff, C.A., Rosenberg, S.A., Restifo, N.P. Prospects of gene-engineered T cell immunotherapy for solid cancers. Nature Medicine, 22: 26-36, 2016.

Klebanoff, C.A., Scott, C.D., Leonardi, A.J., Yamamoto, T., et al. Memory T cell–driven differentiation of naive cells impairs adoptive immunotherapy. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 126: 318-334, 2016.

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People

Christopher A. Klebanoff

Christopher A. Klebanoff, MD

Assistant Attending and Member, IOS-HOPP

  • Physician-scientist Christopher A. Klebanoff studies T cell immunobiology with an emphasis on adoptive T cell immunotherapy for the treatment of solid malignancies.
  • MD, Emory University School of Medicine
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Physician profile

Members

Lauren B. Banks

Medical Oncology Fellow

Natalie Benjamin

Laboratory Admin

Smita Chandran
Smita Chandran

Scientific Research Lead

Inaki Etxeberria
Inaki Etxeberria

Research Fellow

Michael Gormally

Research Fellow

Korbinian Kropp
Korbinian Kropp

Research Associate

Rachel Lai
Rachel Lai

Research Technician

William Murray
William Murray

Research Technician

Olivia Reff

Research Technician

Fei Yi
Fei Yi

Research Fellow

Lab Alumni
Hannah Arkin
Hannah Arkin

Research Technician

Erica Brophy
Erica Brophy

Research Technician

Razan Eltilib
Razan Eltilib

Research Assistant

Matthew Femia
Matthew Femia

Research Technician

Si Ning “Leslie” Fu
Si Ning “Leslie” Fu

Research Assistant

Christopher Bryce Johnson

Resident Physician Research Fellow

Patricia Lopez

Senior Research Technician

Natalie Zimmerman
Natalie Zimmerman

Research Technician

Lab Affiliations

Achievements

  • NIH Fellows Award for Research Excellence (2013)
  • NCI/Center for Cancer Research Post Doctoral Research Fellow of the Year (2011)
  • AOA National Medical Honor Society (2006)
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute continuing support scholarship (2004-2006)
  • Merk Index Award (2000)

Open Positions

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Disclosures

Doctors and faculty members often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community.

MSK requires doctors and faculty members to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public.

Christopher A. Klebanoff discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

  • Achilles Therapeutics
    Equity; Professional Services and Activities
  • Affini-T Therapeutics
    Equity; Intellectual Property Rights; Professional Services and Activities
  • Aleta Biotherapeutics
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Catamaran Bio, Inc.
    Intellectual Property Rights; Professional Services and Activities
  • Intima Bioscience, Inc.
    Intellectual Property Rights
  • Obsidian Therapeutics
    Professional Services and Activities

The information published here is a complement to other publicly reported data and is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.

This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2023 through disclosure submission in spring 2024). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.

Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at [email protected].


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