Anirban Banerjee, PhD

Recent advancements in tumor immunology and immunotherapy have helped us understand key mechanisms of immune response and how these can be modified and harnessed for to achieve better therapeutic strategies. I have a broad background in immunology, with specific training and expertise in cellular immunology, T cell function and tumor biology. My research interest comprises of tumor immunology, T cell functionality and molecular characterization of immunological pathways both in cellular and sub-cellular level. The current proposal represents a novel area of investigation for me and my laboratory as I now plan to focus on immune escape mechanisms of tumor cells. My recent focus has been on lung cancer-specific mechanisms of tumor growth and progression. Our preliminary data demonstrate that, unlike other types of malignancies, both human and murine lung cancers are enriched for type-1 cytokines such as IFN-γ and TNF-α. We hypothesize that IFN-γ production by dying lung cancer cells is an adaptive program designed to accelerate tumor growth and provides a mechanism of immunologic and possibly non-immunologic tumor escape and survival. A successful completion of the proposed study will identify novel pathways of immune escape mechanism in lung
cancers, will expand our knowledge of cancer-specific immunoregulation and lay the foundation of noncytotoxic approaches in lung cancer treatment.

Positions, Scientific Appointments and Honors
Positions and Employment
2020-present- Assistant Professor (Research), Dept. of Surgery, University of Maryland, Baltimore,
MD
2018-2020 Research Scientist, Dept. of Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
2014-2017- Postdoctoral Fellow, The George Washington University, Washington, DC
2013-2014- Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston,SC
2012-2013- Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Neuro-immunology, Oregon Health & Science University,Portland, OR
2007-2011- Research Fellow (PhD tenure) at Chittaranjan National Cancer institute, Kolkata, India.
Other Experience and Professional Memberships
2023- present - Member and Reviewer, Frontiers in Immunology
2022- present - Reviewer Scientific Reports
2020- present - Reviewer FASEB journal
2018- present - Associate editor Immunology and Infectious Diseases
2017- present – Member. American Association of Cancer Research (AACR)
2012- present - Member, American Association of Immunologist (AAI)
Honors
2022 AAI Early Career Faculty Travel Grant (https://www.aai.org/Awards/Travel/AAI-Early-Career-
Faculty-Travel-Grant/Current-Recipients)
2019 Podium presentation AACR –“Targeted expansion of NKG2D-expressing tumor infiltrating
leukocytes improves adoptive transfer immunotherapy”
2014 Podium presentation and Travel grant award, American Association for Immunology (AAI)
“Lack of p53 augments anti-tumor functions of cytolytic T cells”

Contribution to Science
1. Tumor microenvironment and activated T cell function: I have been an integral part of the
projects related to the role of effector T cell in a tumor micro-environment. My recent publications
include reprogramming of effector T cells and insight to novel mechanisms on how T cells can be
modulated to achieve better therapeutic outcome in immuno-oncotherapy.
a. Banerjee A, Li D, Guo Y, Mei Z, Lau C, Chen K, Westwick J, Klauda JB, Schrum A, Lazear
ER, Krupnick AS. A reengineered common chain cytokine augments CD8+ T cell-dependent
immunotherapy. JCI Insight. 2022 May 23;7(10). doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.158889. PubMed
PMID: 35603788; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9220948.
b. Kratzmeier C, Taheri M, Mei Z, Lim I, Khalil MA, Carter-Cooper B, Fanaroff RE, Ong CS,
Schneider EB, Chang S, Leyder E, Li D, Luzina IG, Banerjee A, Krupnick AS. Lung
adenocarcinoma-derived IFN-γ promotes growth by modulating CD8+ T cell production of
CCR5 chemokines (1). J Clin Invest. 2025 Jun 24:e191070
c. Banerjee A, Li D, Guo Y, Mahgoub B, Paragas L, Slobin J, Mei Z, Manafi A, Hata A, Li K, Shi
L, Westwick J, Slingluff C, Lazear E, Krupnick AS. Retargeting IL-2 Signaling to NKG2DExpressing
Tumor-Infiltrating Leukocytes Improves Adoptive Transfer Immunotherapy. J
Immunol. 2021 Jul 1;207(1):333-343.
d. Banerjee A, Thyagarajan K, Chatterjee S, Chakraborty P, Kesarwani P, Soloshchenko
M, Hommrani MA, Andrijauskaite K, Moxley K, Janakiraman H, Scheffel MJ, Helke
K, Armeson K, Palanisamy V, Rubinstein MP, Garrett-Mayer E, Cole DJ, Paulos CM, Voelkel-
Johnson C, Nishimura MI,Mehrotra S.2016.Lack of p53 augments anti-tumor functions of
cytolytic T cells. Cancer Res.15;76(18):5229-40.
2. Interplay between wound healing, microbiome and the immune system: Working on the
immune basis of wound healing and studies involving scleroderma, I have been involved in
identification of novel biomarkers, key in the wound healing process.
a. Shanmugam VK, Fernandez S, Evans KK, McNish S, Banerjee A, Couch K, Mete
M, Shara.2015. Postoperative wound dehiscence: predictors and associations. Wound Repair
and Regeneration DOI: 10.1111/wrr.12268. (PMID: 25683272)
b. Banerjee A, McNish S, Couch KS, Shanmugam VK. 2017.Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) is Elevated
in Wound Exudate from Hidradenitis Suppurativa. Immunol Invest. 46(2):149-158
c. Sismaet HJ, Banerjee A, McNish S, Choi Y, Torralba M, Lucas S, Chan A, Shanmugam VK.
Goluch ED. 2016.Electrochemical detection of Pseudomonas in wound exudate samples from
patients with chronic wounds. Wound repair and regeneration.24(2):366-72.
3. Immunology of mycobacterium tuberculosis: One-third of the world's population is thought to
have been infected with M. tuberculosis, and new infections occur in about 1% of the population each
year. My contribution to research involving mycobacterium tuberculosis regarding pathogenesis and
molecular progression of the disease.
a. Pathak S K, Basu S 1, Basu KK , Banerjee A, Pathak S, Bhattacharyya A, Kaisho T, Kundu M,
Basu J.2007.Direct extracellular interaction between the early secreted antigen ESAT-6 of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis and TLR2 inhibits TLR signaling in macrophages. Nature
Immunology 8, 610 – 618.
b. Basu S, Pathak S, Pathak SK, Bhattacharyya A, Banerjee A, Kundu M, Basu J.
2007.Mycobacterium avium-induced matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression occurs in a
cyclooxygenase-2-dependent manner and involves phosphorylation- and acetylation dependent
chromatin modification. Cellular Microbiology,9;12:2804-2816.
c. Basu S, Pathak S K, Banerjee A, Pathak S, Bhattacharyya A, Yang Z, Talarico S, Kundu M,
and Basu J.2007.Execution of Macrophage Apoptosis by PE_PGRS33 of Mycobacterium
tuberculosisIs Mediated by Toll-likeReceptor 2-dependent Release of Tumor Necrosis Factor-ā.
The J Biol.Chem.282;2:1039–1050.
d. Pathak S K, Basu S, Bhattacharyya A, Pathak S, Banerjee A, Basu J, Kundu M.2006.TLR4-
Dependent NF-_B Activation and Mitogen- and Stress-Activated Protein Kinase 1-Triggered
Phosphorylation Events Are Central to Helicobacter pylori PeptidylProlylcis-, trans-Isomerase
(HP0175)-Mediated Induction of IL-6 Release from Macrophages. J Immunol.177: 7950 –7958.
4. Immune system and vascular biology: I possess a substantial knowledge of vascular biology,
immune system interplay, and inflammatory phase reactions. I have previous experiences working on
cardiovascular biology and associated inflammatory effects. I have contributed extensively to a
research project involving assessment of inflammatory changes associated with exposure to chronic
biomass smoke. The results and led to identification of key determinants of inflammation. Additionally,
I have worked on a project that has identified differences between male and female stroke phenomenon
and has paved the path for differential treatment possibilities among men and women patients.
a. Dutta A, Ray MR, Banerjee A. 2012. Systemic inflammatory changes and increased oxidative
stress in rural Indian women cooking with biomass fuels. Toxicology and Applied
Pharmacology.15;261(3):255-62
b. Banerjee A, Mondal NK, Das D, Ray MR. 2012.Neutrophilic inflammatory response and
oxidative stress in premenopausal women chronically exposed to indoor air pollution from
biomass burning. Inflammation. 35(2):671-83
c. Hypertension with elevated levels of oxidized low-density lipoprotein and anticardiolipin antibody
in the circulation of premenopausal Indian women chronically exposed to biomass smoke
cooking. Indoor Air.2011 Apr; 21(2):165-76. A. Dutta, B. Mukherjee, D. Das, Banerjee A, M. R.
Ray.
d. Banerjee A, Wang J, Bodhankar S, Vandenbark AA, Murphy S, Offner H. 2013.Phenotypic
changes in immune cell subsets reflect increased infarct volume in male vs. female mice.Transl.
Stroke Res.; 4(5):554-63
My Bibliography:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1fU48QXg8aJkU/bibliography/public