Thuy Tran, MD, PhD

As a physician-scientist and clinical investigator, my hope is to be able to move bench research efficiency to the clinic. Most importantly, I want to learn from the patients and their experience to inform my studies. My ultimate goal is to improve immune treatment options and quality of life for patients with metastatic malignancies.

My research focuses on understanding and improving clinical targets to overcome resistance to immune therapy.  We are actively engaged in studies related to macrophage migration inhibitor factor (MIF) in melanoma as well as understanding complications from brain metastatic disease.  I have focused on addressing neurologic complications of brain metastases or its treatment by (1) identifying mediators of metastasis-associated edema that can be given concurrently to further improve brain-active systemic therapies and patient outcomes, (2) identifying key immune cells driving radiation necrosis after treatment with stereotactic radiosurgery, and (3) determining key brain tumor infiltrating immune cell subsets and evaluating their effect on patient response and survival.