Welcome to the Yarchoan Laboratory
We are a translational laboratory broadly focused on developing novel cancer immunotherapies, with a particular emphasis on primary liver cancers. Clinically, our work centers on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), and fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC).​​​
areas of Current research
Therapeutic cancer vaccines and TCR-T therapies
We develop next-generation cancer vaccines for HCC, CCA, and FLC. Our team previously led analyses of a personalized DNA vaccine and created novel vaccines for both CCA and FLC. Current work focuses on learning from vaccine-derived specimens to design improved vaccine strategies. We are also developing TCR-based therapies for FLC and other cancers, informed by T-cell repertoires from vaccine responders.
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Tumor immune microenvironment in gastrointestinal cancers
Using human specimens and preclinical models, we investigate barriers to antitumor immunity in GI cancers and strategies to overcome the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. A major focus is comparing responders and non-responders to neoadjuvant immunotherapy to understand how the tumor immune microenvironment shapes outcomes. Recent work also examines how tumor metabolic programs influence the immune milieu.
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Biomarkers of anti-PD-1 response and toxicity
Our laboratory leads the Johns Hopkins Immunotherapy Biobank, a pan-tumor effort collecting longitudinal blood samples from immunotherapy-treated patients. This resource enables discovery of mechanisms driving therapeutic response and immune-related toxicities. Prior work identified tumor mutational burden (TMB) >10 as a predictor of tumor-agnostic benefit from anti-PD-1 therapy and revealed Th2/Th17 signatures associated with immune toxicities.