The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center at Houston
Department of  Translational Molecular Pathology

Cara Haymaker is an Associate Professor in the Department of Translational Molecular
Pathology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Haymaker is actively
involved in immune profiling of clinical trials performed at MDA as Director of both the MDA
Moonshots Translational Molecular Pathology-Immunoprofiling Platform (TMP-IL) and the
CCSG developmental Oncology Research and Immune-monitoring core (ORION) as well as
nationally as co-PI of the NCI-funded MDA Cancer Immune Monitoring and Analysis Center
(CIMAC).

Dr. Haymaker’s research program is divided into two main themes with the overall goal of
defining the tumor immune microenvironment in rare solid tumors such as malignant pleural
mesothelioma (MPM) and sarcoma where responses to immunotherapy strategies are lacking.
Theme 1 is focused on investigating ways to modulate intratumoral antigen presenting cells
(APCs), specifically dendritic cells, to improve antigen presentation and costimulation to tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). This involves deeply assessing the immune landscape in MPM, identifying dendritic cell subsets and associated TIL populations and directly assessing receptor-ligand interactions through spatial profiling and single cell sequencing. Theme 2 is focused on defining the anti-tumor T cell responses in MPM and sarcoma. This theme utilizes
TIL expansion to provide an in vitro model system to directly assess TIL cytotoxicity,polyfunctionality, anti-tumor function and identification of anti-tumor TCRs and underlying mechanisms driving T cell dysfunction such as altered metabolic states.

PubMed

MDACC Faculty

Education & Training

PhD, University of Missouri-Columbia, 2011