David M. Barrett

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David M. Barrett, MD, PhD

Attending Physician

Dr. Barret's research program focuses on immune function of children with cancer. His research involves investigating possible immune deficiencies that result in children developing cancer and developing immune-based therapies for childhood cancer.

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Bio

The focus of Dr. David Barrett’s research is to determine the optimal conditions for adoptive immunotherapy using autologous T cells and chimeric antigen receptors targeting tumor surface antigens. Specifically, he investigates the optimal conditions for both T cell manufacture as well as the mechanism of the toxic cytokine release syndrome. As a result of his work isolating and studying both T cells and leukemia cells from pediatric patients, he has developed an intense interest in further characterizing the mechanisms of tumor immune escape.

Specifically, Dr. Barrett studies the effects of chemotherapy on T cell function, with the aim of understanding the effects of each chemo regimen on T cell function to better design and deliver immune based therapies. He also investigates CAR T cells and the predictive biomarkers of successful T cell persistence, with the aim of devising strategies to convert poor persisting T cell therapies to long lasting ones.

In addition, Dr. Barrett investigates cytokine release syndrome, a toxic side effect of CAR T therapy, to uncover the triggering mechanisms for this toxicity and devise strategies to mitigate it; immune function of children with cancer, to determine the effects of the tumor on peripheral blood T cells as well as any pre-existing deficits that may have allowed tumor formation; and lymphatic fluid analysis, to better understand T cell biology and potentially exploit these differences for more effective immune therapies.