Claire Conarroe was awarded an NIH F31 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award from the National Cancer Institute that began May 13, 2026.
Claire is a doctoral candidate in Experimental Pathology in the lab of Timothy Bullock.
Claire received her Bachelor degree from Washington and Lee University in Biology with a German minor.
Tell us about your research: I study the immune response to a primary brain tumor in order to identify promising strategies to leverage immunotherapies. T cells, which are immune cells that can directly kill tumor cells, are dysfunctional and fail to recognize brain tumor cells as a target. To improve anti-tumor T cell responses, I am testing the efficacy of immunotherapies that activate dendritic cells, the type of immune cell that educates and activates T cells. I have shown that a combination of CD40 and Toll-like receptor agonists leads to a durable survival benefit and even a complete response in some mice. Importantly, these complete responders are completely protected from rechallenge, a sign of immunological memory. This is highly relevant to clinical applications, as most patients succumb to recurrent brain tumors and would benefit from the induction of immune memory. My project is now focused on identifying the mechanisms that drive this survival benefit, particularly regarding the effects of these agonists on dendritic cell activity both intracranially and systemically. Developing a more complete understanding of what a robust anti-tumor immune response looks like will inform therapeutic strategies to ultimately improve patient outcomes.
What drives or motivates your scientific pursuits? Learning about the intricacies of immunology opened my eyes to the opportunities and challenges of treating diseases by modulating immune responses. While the brain was once thought to be separate from the immune system, we now know that there are integral neuro-immune interactions that support regular function and can become involved with the progression of disease. This has revealed a plethora of new opportunities to harness the immune system to improve patient outcomes with a variety of diseases that are currently lack effective treatments. The ability to address these clinically unmet needs provides significant motivation to continue this line of research.
What are your future goals? My future goal is to lead a research lab exploring opportunities to modulate the immune system in the CNS setting. I enjoy thinking about the similarities and differences between immune responses involved in neurodegenerative diseases and CNS malignancies, and I’m excited to help bridge a gap between basic science and patient care.