Jessica Konen
PhD
Dr. Konen’s research focuses on exploring mechanisms of immunotherapy resistance, with the goal to identify novel combination treatment strategies to improve its efficacy in lung cancer.
Titles and Roles
- Instructor, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology
- Emory University School of Medicine
- Research Program
- Cancer Immunology
Biography
Jessica Konen, PhD, is an instructor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine.
Dr. Konen is a member of the Cancer Immunology Research Program at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. She holds professional membership with American Association for Cancer Research and Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer.
Education
Dr. Konen earned her PhD from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She completed her postdoctoral training at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.
Research
Dr. Konen's research focuses on revealing intrinsic and acquired resistance mechanisms to immunotherapy in lung cancer patients, with a focus on implementing rational drug combinations to improve immune checkpoint blockade efficacy. Her research efforts have revealed the importance of bioactive metabolites within the tumor microenvironment that can alter T cell functionality and thus response to immunotherapy. Using multi-modal approaches, her research aims to continue to dissect the extracellular metabolome during "normal" lung cancer evolution, as well as explore how immunotherapy-resistant tumor cells alter this profile over time to generate immune dysfunction.
Publications
Publications Publication Date