David Munn

Scholarship

Selected Recent Publications

• Role of the Tumor Microenvironment, 2021
  Book, Chapter in Textbook-New
• Inhibition of the BTK-IDO-mTOR axis promotes differentiation of monocyte-lineage dendritic cells and enhances anti-tumor T cell immunity, 2021
  Journal Article, Professional Journal
• Phase II Trail of the IDO pathway inhibitor indoximod plus pembrolizumab for the treatment of patients with advanced melanoma, 2021
  Journal Article, Professional Journal
• Delayed Akt suppression in the lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury promotes resolution that is associated with enhanced effector regulatory T-cells, 2020
  Journal Article, Professional Journal
• Advanced Age Increases Immunosuppression in the Brain and Decreases Immunotherapeutic Efficacy in Subject with Glioblastoma, 2020
  Journal Article, Professional Journal

Research Interests

Dr. Munn's research focuses on activating the immune system of children with cancer, so that they can mount an immune attack against the tumor. He has an active research laboratory in pre-clinical drug discovery, as well as implementing cutting-edge techniques for monitoring the immune response of children on immunotherapy clinical trials. He participates as a laboratory co-investigator on multiple clinical trials of new drugs and treatments that were invented in his laboratory.

Basic-science studies of the role of the indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) pathway in Tregs, including the regulation of the suppressor phenotype vs. destabilization and reprogramming during inflammation. Molecular mechanisms of inflammation-induced differentiation of immunogenic dendritic cells (DCs), and the suppression of these immunogenic DCs by IDO-activated Tregs. The translational goal of these studies is to develop orally bioavailable small-molecule drugs that induce differentiation of immunogenic DCs in tumors.

Basic and pre-clinical studies of immune response to dying tumor cells after chemotherapy; and synergy between conventional chemotherapy and novel forms of immunotherapy targeting Tregs and DCs.

Design and immune-monitoring of Phase I and Phase II clinical trials of IDO-inhibitor drugs in combination with chemotherapy, radiation, BTK-inhibitor drugs and checkpoint inhibitors. These include first-in-children pediatric trials, in conjunction with the Pediatric Immunotherapy Service and Dr. Theodore Johnson.