Chrystal M. Paulos, PhD

Research Program

Cancer Immunology
Email Address

chrystal.mary.paulos@emory.edu

Biography

Chrystal M. Paulos, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Surgery at Emory University School of Medicine, with a joint appointment in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. She holds the David H. Lawson Professorship in Cancer Research and serves as director of translational research for cutaneous malignancies and as co-leader of the Cancer Immunology Research Program at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University.

Prior to joining Emory, Dr. Paulos was the Cecilia and Vincent Peng Endowed Chair in Melanoma at Medical University of South Carolina. She also served as co-leader of the Cancer Immunology Research Program and director of the Adoptive Cancer Immunotherapy Program at Hollings Cancer Center in Charleston, South Carolina.

Dr. Paulos holds professional memberships with American Association of Immunologists, International Society for Biological Therapy of Cancer and Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer.

Dr. Paulos received her PhD in Biochemistry from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. She completed her post-doctoral training in genetherapy at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and in tumor immunology at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

Titles & Roles

David H. Lawson Professorship in Cancer Research

Emory University School of Medicine
Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Emory University School of Medicine
Co-Leader, Cancer Immunology Research Program

Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
Director, Translational Research for Cutaneous Malignancies

Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University

Research

The objective of Dr. Paulos' research is to develop novel T cell-based therapies for patients with melanoma. Her laboratory seeks to identify mechanisms underlying protective immunity in solid tumors, with an emphasis on adoptive T cell transfer (ACT) therapy. By combining basic and translational understanding of human T cells in clinical studies with mechanistic studies in relevant mouse models and in investigator initiated clinical trials in patients, her research team has contributed significant insight into the various roles of how to mount T cell memory responses to tumors.

Grants

View Grants

Grant Number	Title
1R01CA244361-01A1	Targeting Chronic ER Stress in T Cells to Improve Cancer Immunotherapy
1R01CA275199-01A1	Mechanisms of Durable Antitumor Immunity Mediated by PI3K-targeted T cells
5R01CA275199-02	Mechanisms of Durable Antitumor Immunity Mediated by PI3K-targeted T cells

Publications

Dr. Paulos has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals including Nature, Science Immunology, and Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Title/Journal	Authors	Publication Date
XL888 and pembrolizumab modulate the immune landscape of colorectal tumors in a phase Ib/II clinical trial. Oncoimmunology	MJ Phillips, OB Alese, NK Horvat, E Greene, OB Gbolahan, K Coleman, DB Doxie, V Parihar, ZK Mahdi, A McCook-Veal, JM Switchenko, M Diab, CJ Herting, CM Paulos, BF El-Rayes, GB Lesinski	12/01/2025
MGAT1-Guided complex N-Glycans on CD73 regulate immune evasion in triple-negative breast cancer. Nature communications	JJ Chi, P Xie, MH Cheng, Y Zhu, X Cui, J Watson, L Zeng, A Uddin, H Nguyen, L Li, K Moremen, A Reedy, M Wyatt, A Marcus, M Dai, CM Paulos, M Cristofanilli, WJ Gradishar, S Zhao, K Kalinsky, MC Hung, I Bahar, B Zhang, Y Wan	04/15/2025
Combination radiation and αPD-L1 enhance tumor control by stimulating CD8+ PD-1+ TCF-1+ T cells in the tumor-draining lymph node. Nature communications	Y Shen, E Connolly, M Aiello, C Zhou, P Chappa, H Song, P Tippitak, T Clark, M Cardenas, N Prokhnevska, A Mariniello, I De Bruyker, MS Pagadala, VR Dhere, S Rafiq, AH Kesarwala, A Orthwein, SN Thomas, SL Zhang, MK Khan, JB Dixon, GB Lesinski, MC Lowe, H Kissick, DS Yu, CM Paulos, NC Schmitt, ZS Buchwald	04/14/2025
Macrophage-derived Fgl2 dampens antitumor immunity through regulation of FcγRIIB+CD8+ T cells in melanoma. JCI insight	KB Bennion, J Miranda R Bazzano, D Liu, M Wagener, CM Paulos, ML Ford	03/24/2025
CD4 T cell depletion increases memory differentiation of endogenous and CAR T cells and enhances the efficacy of Super2 and IL-33-armored CAR T cells against solid tumors. Journal for immunotherapy of cancer	AO Mohamed, DT Boone, SL Ferry, MC Peck, AM Santos, HE Soderholm, MC Wittling, C Paulos, MJ Turk, YH Huang	02/11/2025
A Paradigm Shift in Tumor Immunology: Th17 Cells and TGFβ in Intestinal Cancer Initiation. Cancer research	MM Wyatt, CM Paulos	12/02/2024
Editor's Note: Multiple Injections of Electroporated Autologous T Cells Expressing a Chimeric Antigen Receptor Mediate Regression of Human Disseminated Tumor. Cancer research	Y Zhao, E Moon, C Carpenito, CM Paulos, X Liu, AL Brennan, A Chew, RG Carroll, J Scholler, BL Levine, SM Albelda, CH June	11/04/2024
Strategies for Improving CAR T Cell Persistence in Solid Tumors. Cancers	MC Wittling, AC Cole, B Brammer, KG Diatikar, NC Schmitt, CM Paulos	08/16/2024
Distinct host preconditioning regimens differentially impact the antitumor potency of adoptively transferred Th17 cells. Journal for immunotherapy of cancer	MC Wittling, HM Knochelmann, MM Wyatt, GO Rangel Rivera, AC Cole, GB Lesinski, CM Paulos	06/30/2024
CD8⁺ T cell-derived Fgl2 regulates immunity in a cell-autonomous manner via ligation of FcγRIIB. Nature communications	KB Bennion, D Liu, AS Dawood, MM Wyatt, KL Alexander, MS Abdel-Hakeem, CM Paulos, ML Ford	06/20/2024
IL15 and IL21: Better When Membrane-Tethered Together on Antitumor T Cells. Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research	AT Ruffin, MC Wittling, AC Cole, CM Paulos	04/15/2024
Radiation and anti-PD-L1 synergize by stimulating a stem-like T cell population in the tumor-draining lymph node. Research square	Y Shen, E Connolly, M Aiello, C Zhou, P Chappa, H Song, P Tippitak, T Clark, M Cardenas, N Prokhnevska, A Mariniello, MS Pagadala, VR Dhere, S Rafiq, AH Kesarwala, A Orthwein, SN Thomas, MK Khan, J Brandon Dixon, GB Lesinski, MC Lowe, H Kissick, DS Yu, CM Paulos, NC Schmitt, ZS Buchwald	03/06/2024
Clinically relevant orthotopic pancreatic cancer models for adoptive T cell transfer therapy. Journal for immunotherapy of cancer	NK Horvat, I Karpovsky, M Phillips, MM Wyatt, MA Hall, CJ Herting, J Hammons, Z Mahdi, RA Moffitt, CM Paulos, GB Lesinski	01/08/2024
Progressively Enhancing Stemness of Adoptively Transferred T Cells with PI3Kδ Blockade Improves Metabolism and Antitumor Immunity. Cancer research	GO Rangel Rivera, CJ Dwyer, HM Knochelmann, AS Smith, BA Aksoy, AC Cole, MM Wyatt, S Kumaresan, JE Thaxton, GB Lesinski, CM Paulos	01/02/2024
Distinct host preconditioning regimens differentially impact the antitumor potency of adoptively transferred Th17 cells. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology	MC Wittling, HM Knochelmann, MM Wyatt, GO Rangel Rivera, AC Cole, GB Lesinski, CM Paulos	12/18/2023
FcγRIIB expressed on CD8⁺ T cells limits responsiveness to PD-1 checkpoint inhibition in cancer. Science translational medicine	KB Bennion, M Tariq, MM Wyatt, C Duneton, KM Baecher, CM Paulos, RR Kudchadkar, MC Lowe, ML Ford	08/23/2023
Does non-metastatic gastric cancer of the cardia warrant a different treatment strategy? Journal of surgical oncology	PS Ajay, R NeMoyer, S Goyal, JM Switchenko, Y Lin, SK Jabbour, DR Carpizo, CM Paulos, TJ Kennedy, MM Shah	08/01/2023
Impact of nodal status in determining multimodal treatment strategies in non-cardia gastric cancer. Journal of surgical oncology	PS Ajay, CP Sok, S Goyal, JM Switchenko, FB Maegawa, TW Gillespie, CM Paulos, GB Lesinski, DA Kooby, TJ Kennedy, MM Shah	08/01/2023
Perspectives in Immunotherapy: meeting report from Immunotherapy Bridge (Naples, November 30th-December 1st, 2022). Journal of translational medicine	PA Ascierto, A Avallone, C Bifulco, S Bracarda, JD Brody, LA Emens, RL Ferris, SC Formenti, O Hamid, DB Johnson, T Kirchhoff, CA Klebanoff, GB Lesinski, A Monette, B Neyns, K Odunsi, CM Paulos, DJ Powell, K Rezvani, BH Segal, N Singh, RJ Sullivan, BA Fox, I Puzanov	07/20/2023
Augmenting TCR signal strength and ICOS costimulation results in metabolically fit and therapeutically potent human CAR Th17 cells. Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy	MM Wyatt, LW Huff, MH Nelson, LR Neal, AR Medvec, GO Rangel Rivera, AS Smith, AM Rivera Reyes, HM Knochelmann, JL Riley, GB Lesinski, CM Paulos	07/05/2023
Potential clinical implications of CD4⁺CD26^high T cells for nivolumab treated melanoma patients. Journal of translational medicine	D Galati, S Zanotta, M Capone, G Madonna, D Mallardo, M Romanelli, E Simeone, L Festino, F Sparano, R Azzaro, R De Filippi, A Pinto, CM Paulos, PA Ascierto	05/11/2023
Dual IL-6 and CTLA-4 blockade regresses pancreatic tumors in a T cell- and CXCR3-dependent manner. JCI insight	MB Ware, M Phillips, C McQuinn, MY Zaidi, HM Knochelmann, E Greene, B Robinson, CJ Herting, TA Mace, Z Chen, C Zhang, MR Farren, AN Ruggieri, JS Bowers, R Shakya, AB Farris, G Young, WE Carson, B El-Rayes, CM Paulos, GB Lesinski	04/24/2023
Adhesion analysis via a tumor vasculature-like microfluidic device identifies CD8⁺ T cells with enhanced tumor homing to improve cell therapy. Cell reports	CP Camargo, AK Muhuri, Y Alapan, LF Sestito, M Khosla, MP Manspeaker, AS Smith, CM Paulos, SN Thomas	03/28/2023
The degree of T cell stemness differentially impacts the potency of adoptive cancer immunotherapy in a Lef-1 and Tcf-1 dependent manner. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology	GO Rangel Rivera, CJ Dwyer, HM Knochelmann, AS Smith, A Aksoy, AC Cole, MM Wyatt, JE Thaxton, GB Lesinski, CM Paulos	03/10/2023
The magic of small-molecule drugs during ex vivo expansion in adoptive cell therapy. Frontiers in immunology	H Zhang, T Passang, S Ravindranathan, R Bommireddy, MR Jajja, L Yang, P Selvaraj, CM Paulos, EK Waller	01/01/2023
Statin drugs enhance responses to immune checkpoint blockade in head and neck cancer models. Journal for immunotherapy of cancer	V Kansal, AJ Burnham, BLC Kinney, NF Saba, C Paulos, GB Lesinski, ZS Buchwald, NC Schmitt	01/01/2023
Stress-Mediated Attenuation of Translation Undermines T-cell Activity in Cancer. Cancer research	BP Riesenberg, EG Hunt, MD Tennant, KE Hurst, AM Andrews, LR Leddy, DM Neskey, EG Hill, GOR Rivera, CM Paulos, P Gao, JE Thaxton	12/02/2022
Combined MEK/PD-L1 Inhibition Alters Peripheral Cytokines and Lymphocyte Populations Correlating with Improved Clinical Outcomes in Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer. Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research	AN Ruggieri, M Yarchoan, S Goyal, Y Liu, E Sharon, HX Chen, BM Olson, CM Paulos, BF El-Rayes, SK Maithel, NS Azad, GB Lesinski	10/03/2022
Association of age with survival in older patients with cutaneous melanoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Journal of geriatric oncology	AV Howell, M Gebregziabher, BH Thiers, EM Graboyes, CM Paulos, JM Wrangle, KJ Hunt, K Wallace	09/01/2022
Programmed death 1 (PD-1) and ligand (PD-L1) inhibitors in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: A meta-analysis. World journal of otorhinolaryngology - head and neck surgery	DA Levy, JJ Patel, SA Nguyen, W Nicholas Jungbauer, DM Neskey, EEW Cohen, CM Paulos, JA Kaczmar, HM Knochelmann, TA Day	09/01/2022
Perspectives in Immunotherapy: meeting report from the Immunotherapy Bridge, December 1st-2nd, 2021. Journal of translational medicine	PA Ascierto, A Avallone, N Bhardwaj, C Bifulco, S Bracarda, JD Brody, L Buonaguro, S Demaria, LA Emens, RL Ferris, J Galon, SN Khleif, CA Klebanoff, T Laskowski, I Melero, CM Paulos, S Pignata, M Ruella, IM Svane, JM Taube, BA Fox, P Hwu, I Puzanov	06/07/2022
Case Report: Delayed Onset Multi-Organ Toxicities in a Melanoma Patient Achieving Complete Response to BRAF/MEK Inhibition. Frontiers in oncology	HM Knochelmann, MB Ware, A Rali, S Linderman, JG Shantha, DH Lawson, M Yushak, R Swerlick, CM Paulos, S Yeh, R Kudchadkar	01/01/2022
B cells imprint adoptively transferred CD8⁺ T cells with enhanced tumor immunity. Journal for immunotherapy of cancer	AS Smith, HM Knochelmann, MM Wyatt, GO Rangel Rivera, AM Rivera-Reyes, CJ Dwyer, MB Ware, AC Cole, DM Neskey, MP Rubinstein, B Liu, JE Thaxton, E Bartee, CM Paulos	01/01/2022
Effect of immunotherapy time-of-day infusion on overall survival among patients with advanced melanoma in the USA (MEMOIR): a propensity score-matched analysis of a single-centre, longitudinal study. The Lancet. Oncology	DC Qian, T Kleber, B Brammer, KM Xu, JM Switchenko, JR Janopaul-Naylor, J Zhong, ML Yushak, RD Harvey, CM Paulos, DH Lawson, MK Khan, RR Kudchadkar, ZS Buchwald	12/01/2021
Neoadjuvant presurgical PD-1 inhibition in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma. Cell reports. Medicine	HM Knochelmann, JD Horton, S Liu, K Armeson, JM Kaczmar, MM Wyatt, MS Richardson, SH Lomeli, Y Xiong, EM Graboyes, EJ Lentsch, JD Hornig, J Skoner, S Stalcup, MV Spampinato, E Garrett-Mayer, EC O'Quinn, CD Timmers, MJ Romeo, JM Wrangle, MRI Young, MP Rubinstein, TA Day, RS Lo, CM Paulos, DM Neskey	10/19/2021
Response and recurrence correlates in individuals treated with neoadjuvant anti-PD-1 therapy for resectable oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma. Cell reports. Medicine	S Liu, HM Knochelmann, SH Lomeli, A Hong, M Richardson, Z Yang, RJ Lim, Y Wang, C Dumitras, K Krysan, C Timmers, MJ Romeo, C Krieg, EC O'Quinn, JD Horton, SM Dubinett, CM Paulos, DM Neskey, RS Lo	10/19/2021
Discovery of LYC-55716: A Potent, Selective, and Orally Bioavailable Retinoic Acid Receptor-Related Orphan Receptor-γ (RORγ) Agonist for Use in Treating Cancer. Journal of medicinal chemistry	TD Aicher, CA Van Huis, AR Hurd, DJ Skalitzky, CB Taylor, OM Beleh, G Glick, PL Toogood, B Yang, T Zheng, C Huo, J Gao, C Qiao, X Tian, J Zhang, K Demock, LY Hao, CA Lesch, RW Morgan, J Moisan, Y Wang, J Scatina, CM Paulos, W Zou, LL Carter, X Hu	09/23/2021
Perspectives in immunotherapy: meeting report from the immunotherapy bridge (December 2nd-3rd, 2020, Italy). Journal of translational medicine	PA Ascierto, C Bifulco, F Ciardiello, S Demaria, LA Emens, R Ferris, SC Formenti, J Galon, SN Khleif, T Kirchhoff, J McQuade, K Odunsi, A Patnaik, CM Paulos, JM Taube, J Timmerman, BA Fox, P Hwu, I Puzanov	06/02/2021
Immune checkpoint inhibitors retain effectiveness in older patients with cutaneous metastatic melanoma. Journal of geriatric oncology	AV Howell, M Gebregziabher, BH Thiers, CM Paulos, JM Wrangle, KJ Hunt, K Wallace	04/01/2021
Differential immune signatures in the tumor microenvironment are associated with colon cancer racial disparities. Cancer medicine	T Curran, Z Sun, B Gerry, VJ Findlay, K Wallace, Z Li, C Paulos, M Ford, MP Rubinstein, D Chung, ER Camp	03/01/2021
The evolving landscape of immunotherapy in solid tumors. Journal of surgical oncology	JM Keilson, HM Knochelmann, CM Paulos, RR Kudchadkar, MC Lowe	03/01/2021
Perspectives in immunotherapy: meeting report from the "Immunotherapy Bridge" (December 4th-5th, 2019, Naples, Italy). Journal of translational medicine	PA Ascierto, LH Butterfield, K Campbell, B Daniele, M Dougan, LA Emens, S Formenti, F Janku, SN Khleif, T Kirchhoff, A Morabito, Y Najjar, P Nathan, K Odunsi, A Patnaik, CM Paulos, BI Reinfeld, HD Skinner, J Timmerman, I Puzanov	01/06/2021
Effective Activation and Expansion of Canine Lymphocytes Using a Novel Nano-Sized Magnetic Beads Approach. Frontiers in immunology	IM Szopa, M Granica, JK Bujak, A Łabędź, M Błaszczyk, CM Paulos, K Majchrzak-Kuligowska	01/01/2021
Fundamentals of T Cell Metabolism and Strategies to Enhance Cancer Immunotherapy. Frontiers in immunology	GO Rangel Rivera, HM Knochelmann, CJ Dwyer, AS Smith, MM Wyatt, AM Rivera-Reyes, JE Thaxton, CM Paulos	01/01/2021
Strategies to Overcome Failures in T-Cell Immunotherapies by Targeting PI3K-δ and -γ. Frontiers in immunology	S Chandrasekaran, CR Funk, T Kleber, CM Paulos, M Shanmugam, EK Waller	01/01/2021
Preinvasive Colorectal Lesions of African Americans Display an Immunosuppressive Signature Compared to Caucasian Americans. Frontiers in oncology	K Wallace, GJ Nahhas, C Bookhout, DN Lewin, CM Paulos, N Nikolaishvili-Feinberg, SM Cohen, S Guglietta, A Bakhtiari, ER Camp, EG Hill, JA Baron, JD Wu, AV Alekseyenko	01/01/2021
Modeling ex vivo tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte expansion from established solid malignancies. Oncoimmunology	HM Knochelmann, AM Rivera-Reyes, MM Wyatt, AS Smith, R Chamness, CJ Dwyer, M Bobian, GO Rangel Rivera, JD Horton, M Lilly, MJ Romeo, CD Timmers, MP Rubinstein, DM Neskey, CM Paulos	01/01/2021
IL6 Fuels Durable Memory for Th17 Cell-Mediated Responses to Tumors. Cancer research	HM Knochelmann, CJ Dwyer, AS Smith, JS Bowers, MM Wyatt, MH Nelson, GO Rangel Rivera, JD Horton, C Krieg, K Armeson, GB Lesinski, MP Rubinstein, Z Li, CM Paulos	09/15/2020
Ex vivo blockade of PI3K gamma or delta signaling enhances the antitumor potency of adoptively transferred CD8⁺ T cells. European journal of immunology	CJ Dwyer, DC Arhontoulis, GO Rangel Rivera, HM Knochelmann, AS Smith, MM Wyatt, MP Rubinstein, C Atkinson, JE Thaxton, DM Neskey, CM Paulos	09/01/2020
Platelet and hemoglobin count at diagnosis are associated with survival in African American and Caucasian patients with colorectal cancer. Cancer epidemiology	K Wallace, H Li, JG Brazeal, DN Lewin, S Sun, A Ba, CM Paulos, S Rachidi, Z Li, AV Alekseyenko	08/01/2020
The Great Debate at 'Immunotherapy Bridge', Naples, December 5, 2019. Journal for immunotherapy of cancer	PA Ascierto, C Bifulco, J Galon, C Garbe, SN Khleif, J McQuade, K Odunsi, H Okada, CM Paulos, SA Quezada, HA Tawbi, J Timmerman, G Trinchieri, LH Butterfield, I Puzanov	08/01/2020
Identification of human CD4⁺ T cell populations with distinct antitumor activity. Science advances	MH Nelson, HM Knochelmann, SR Bailey, LW Huff, JS Bowers, K Majchrzak-Kuligowska, MM Wyatt, MP Rubinstein, S Mehrotra, MI Nishimura, KE Armeson, PG Giresi, MJ Zilliox, HE Broxmeyer, CM Paulos	07/01/2020
RNA binding protein PCBP1 is an intracellular immune checkpoint for shaping T cell responses in cancer immunity. Science advances	EA Ansa-Addo, HC Huang, B Riesenberg, S Iamsawat, D Borucki, MH Nelson, JH Nam, D Chung, CM Paulos, B Liu, XZ Yu, C Philpott, PH Howe, Z Li	05/01/2020
Immunological effects of nivolumab immunotherapy in patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma. BMC cancer	Y Xiong, DM Neskey, JD Horton, CM Paulos, HM Knochelmann, KE Armeson, MRI Young	03/17/2020