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Hematology and Oncology

Radhakrishnan Laboratory

The research focus of the Radhakrishnan lab is to advance the field of cellular immunotherapy and is based on two divergent yet complimentary themes:

1) Development of CAR T cells targeting novel antigens for both solid and hematological cancers. The lab uses antibody phage display library and high throughput downstream assays to identify binding antibodies and functional CAR T cells. Using this platform, during his postdoctoral training at the University of Utah, Dr. Radhakrishnan has developed the first human CD229 antibody and CAR T cells and shown efficacy in multiple myeloma and B cell neoplasms.

2) Overcoming immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment to enhance CAR T cell therapy. The Radhakrishnan lab employs a multimodal approach to activate tumor macrophages using CAR T cells, thus enhancing their tumoricidal effect. In this regard the lab focuses on targeting the “do not eat me signal” CD47 and CD24 to enhance CAR T cell or tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in both solid and hematological cancers.

Radhakrishnan Laboratory

About the PI

Sabari Radhakrishnan, MDSabarinath Radhakrishnan, MD, is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology & Oncology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He obtained his medical degree (MBBS) and post graduate degree (MD) from Trivandrum Medical College, Kerala, India and further completed Internal Medicine residency at LSU Shreveport and Hematology/Oncology fellowship at the University of Utah. His initial research focus was on graft versus host disease and trained under the mentorship of Gerhard Hildebrandt MD at LSU Shreveport. During his fellowship at the University of Utah, under the guidance of Tim Luetkens, MD and Djordje Atanackovic, MD, he developed a high throughput CAR T cell discovery platform using phage display technology and successfully generated the first CD229 targeting CAR T cells.

Dr. Radhakrishnan joined MCW in 2021 and attends to the bone marrow transplant and cellular therapy service at Froedtert Hospital and his lab is focused on developing CAR T cells against novel targets and overcoming CAR T cell resistance.

Current Members

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Maday Galeana Figueroa

Research Associate I

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Ravi K. Shah, PhD

Research Scientist II

Recent Publications

Publications of Sabarinath Venniyil Radhakrishnan MD from the Faculty Collaboration Database

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