Melissa Berrien-Elliott, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Molecular Microbiology and Immunology

---

Research Interests

The Berrien-Elliott lab focuses on understanding how we can use natural killer (NK) cells to treat cancer and chronic viral infections. NK cells, in contrast to cytotoxic T cells, are innate lymphocytes that can “naturally” kill malignant and infected cells without prior sensitization. Recent work has identified that NK cells display enhanced, memory-like functionality after brief cytokine activation. These cytokine-induced memory-like (ML) NK cells can be engineered and have a superior safety profile compared to standard-of-care CAR-T cell therapies. Our lab uses preclinical and translational approaches to understand the cross-talk between ML NK cell therapy and the immune/tumor microenvironment in these distinct contexts and to explore new approaches for improving patient responses to NK cell therapy.
We are always looking for curious, enthusiastic individuals who are interested in exploring the fascinating world of NK cell therapy!

Publications and Media Placements

Full list of publications: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/melissa.berrien-elliott.1/bibliography/public/