Department: Pediatrics
Immunology Focus area: GVHD, NK cells, CAR T cells, macrophages
Descriptive Title of Research: Immunotherapy of pediatric cancer after bone marrow transplant
Research Description: Dr. Capitini joined the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Madison as an Assistant Professor in 2011, and leads an NIH and NSF funded laboratory in transplant immunology with a focus on immunotherapy of pediatric cancers. The goal of his research group is improve graft-versus-tumor (GVT) effects against pediatric solid tumors, and treat any associated graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) using cell-based therapies in models of allogeneic bone marrow transplant (alloBMT). To improve GVT, Dr. Capitini is combining ex vivo activated NK cells with immunocytokines to stimulate NK cell proliferation and activation against several GD2+ pediatric tumors in the alloBMT setting. His group was the first to track NK cells in vivo by fluorine-19 MRI. In addition, he is improving the biomanufacturing of CAR T cells against GD2+ solid tumors. To treat GVHD, he is educating macrophages ex vivo with mesenchymal stromal cells (called MEMs) to make them anti-inflammatory, and is developing MEMs for clinical testing.
Link to Publications: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/christian.capitini.1/bibliography/41556134/public/
Graduate Program Affiliations: Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Clinical Investigation
Lab Website: https://www.pediatrics.wisc.edu/research/research-groups/capitini