Personal profile
Research interests
The Karam Laboratory is a tumor immunology lab focused basic and translational approaches to understanding how radiation contributes to response and resistance to immunotherapy, locally, regionally, and systemically. We utilize various in vivo models and human trial specimens, to understand the immune effects within the micro- and macro- environments. Current ongoing projects include:
- Tregs-HEV interaction in mediating local and regional immunity in HNSCC
- Dichotomous effects of Eph-ephrin interaction on the immune HNSCC
- Role of estrogen and in mediating response to immune checkpoint blockade in HNSCC and pancreatic cancer
- Effects of radiation dose and fractionation on systemic immunity and distant metastasis
- Dissecting sensory-neuro immune interaction in mediating resistance to radioimmunotherapy
- Overinflammation and disease hyperprogression in the context of combination radiation and checkpoint blockade
- Biomarker development of response to radioimmunotherapy in HNSCC and PDAC cancers
Currently accepting PhD and MSTP students
Clinical interests
Head and neck cancer, pancreatic cancer, recurrent/metastatic disease, immunotherapy combinations with radiation
Available to Mentor:
- PhD Students
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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IL15/IL15Rα Complex Induces an Antitumor Immune Response following Radiotherapy only in the Absence of Tregs and Fails to Expand Progenitor TCF1+ CD8 T Cells
Piper, M., Hodgson, C. A., Gadwa, J., Hoen, M., Knitz, M. W., Yu, J., Corbo, S., Olimpo, N. A., Yee, E. J., Zhu, Y., Larson, K. Y., Klein, C., Amann, M., Saviola, A. J. & Karam, S. D., Jan 1 2026, In: Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. 25, 1, p. 168-182 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Radiation as an immune modulator: mechanisms and implications for combination with immunotherapy
Darragh, L. B. & Karam, S. D., Apr 2026, In: Nature Reviews Cancer. 26, 4, p. 270-284 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
6 Link opens in a new tab Scopus citations -
Divergent response to radio-immunotherapy is defined by intrinsic features of the tumor microenvironment
Gadwa, J., Yu, J., Piper, M., Knitz, M. W., Darragh, L. B., Olimpo, N., Corbo, S., Beynor, J. I., Neupert, B., Nguyen, A. T., Hodgson, C., Nguyen, D., Abdelazeem, K. N. M., Saviola, A., Pousse, L., Bransi, A., Pincha, M., Klein, C., Amann, M. & Karam, S. D., Jan 7 2025, In: Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer. 13, 1, e010405.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access3 Link opens in a new tab Scopus citations -
Durvalumab With or Without Tremelimumab in Combination With Chemoradiotherapy in Patients With Limited-Stage SCLC: Results from the Phase 1 CLOVER Study
Cho, B. C., Ahn, M. J., Nishio, M., Murakami, H., Wan-Kim, D., Kim, S. W., Karam, S. D., Estival, A., Lin, C. C., Trigo, J. M., Alvarez, R., Wang, C. L., Xie, M., Iyer, S., Armstrong, J., Chugh, P., Jiang, H. & Bauman, J. E., Oct 2025, In: JTO Clinical and Research Reports. 6, 10, 100884.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access1 Link opens in a new tab Scopus citations -
Establishing an integrated approach to head and neck cancer treatment and prevention: The Robert Ebert and Greg Stubblefield Head and Neck Tumor Center Model
Ashok, A., Dimitri, S., Plonowska-Hirschfeld, K., Wu, M. P., Ramadan, S., Ramadan, A., Kukuljan, S., Ley, J., Booth, N., Wagner, C., Britt, S., Slane, K., Daly, K., Myers, J., Steinmetz, L., Wibbenmeyer, T., Rosenquist, K., Hogg, K., Lee, C. & Jackson, A. & 31 others, , Sep 2025, In: Oral Oncology. 168, 107591.Research output: Contribution to journal › Short survey › peer-review
Open Access1 Link opens in a new tab Scopus citations