Fellowship Start Year
2023
Status
First Year
Research Topic
Leveraging Pyroptosis for Anti-Cancer Therapy
Christopher Bourne
Bio
Dr. Bourne graduated from Swarthmore College, with a B.A. in Biology and Spanish literature. He enrolled in the Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis PhD program at Weill Cornell Medicine, where he employed adoptive T-cell therapies as drug delivery vehicles under the mentorship of Dr. David Scheinberg. Currently, Dr. Bourne is a postdoctoral fellow in the Taabazuing lab in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics. He studies the biochemical mechanisms of innate immunity and aims to apply the basic biological knowledge to develop therapeutics for cancer, infectious diseases, and inflammatory disorders. Outside of the lab, Dr. Bourne is Vice President of Partnerships for Black in Cancer, an organization dedicated to empowering Black people in the cancer space.
Postdoc Appointment
Department
- Biochemistry & Biophysics
Penn Faculty Mentor
- Cornelius Taabazuing, Ph.D.
Education
Degrees
- 2023, Ph.D., Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis, Cornell University – Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences
- 2017, B.A., Biology, Swarthmore College
Disertation Title
Improving the Efficacy and Repertoire of Cancer Immunotherapy with Rational Small-Molecule Combinations
Research Advisors
- David Scheinberg, MD, Ph.D.