Harnessing the innate immune system to Pheast on cancer

Our overarching research objective is to understand and manipulate the molecular mechanisms that govern macrophage function in health and disease, with an emphasis on translating laboratory discoveries into novel immunotherapies for cancer. Cancer cells are capable of evading clearance by macrophages through the overexpression of anti-phagocytic, innate immune checkpoint molecules called 'don't eat me' signals, including CD47, PD-L1, and MHC class I. Monoclonal antibodies that antagonize the interaction of 'don't eat me' signals with their macrophage-expressed receptors have demonstrated therapeutic potential in cancer. However, variability in the magnitude and durability of the responses to these agents has suggested the presence of additional, as yet unknown innate immune checkpoints. We have developed a functional screening platform which identifies tumor-specific regulators of intratumoral macrophage function.

Amira Barkal, MD, PhD, is the Principal Founder and Chief Development Officer at Pheast Therapeutics, an immuno-oncology company founded in 2020 with origins in Irv Weissman's lab at Stanford University. Dr. Barkal received her MD and PhD through the Medical Scientist Training Program at Stanford University School of Medicine in 2021. She completed her doctoral thesis in the laboratory of Professor Irving Weissman, where she studied mechanisms of macrophage tumor immunosurveillance and led the discovery that CD24 is a novel innate immune checkpoint in cancer. She is a leader in the field of innate immunity in cancer and conducts research aimed at understanding the regulators of intratumoral macrophage function. Dr. Barkal completed her residency in internal Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital at Harvard Medical School in 2023. She also holds a position as Hematology/Oncology fellow at the University of California-San Francisco. She is a recipient of the Harold M. Weintraub Award for Excellence in Biological Sciences and has been recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30 in Healthcare, In Vivo Rising Leaders in Healthcare, and the Silicon Valley Business Journal Women of Influence.