Crystal Mackall MD

Crystal L. Mackall, MD, is an Endowed Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at Stanford University. She is Founding Director of the Stanford Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Associate Director of Stanford Cancer Institute, and Director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Stanford. During her tenure as Chief of the Pediatric Oncology Branch, NCI, she built an internationally recognized translational research program spanning basic studies of T cell homeostasis and tumor immunology, and clinical trials of immune-based therapies for cancer. Her work is credited with identifying an essential role for the thymus in human T cell regeneration and discovering IL-7 as the master regulator of T cell homeostasis. She has led numerous cutting edge and first-in-human and first-in-child clinical trials spanning: dendritic cell vaccines, cytokines, and adoptive immunotherapy using NK cells and genetically modified T cells. Her group was among the first to demonstrate impressive activity of CD19-CAR in pediatric leukemia, activity of the CD22-CAR in childhood leukemia, and to identify T cell exhaustion as a major factor limiting the efficacy of this class of therapeutics.

At Stanford Dr. Mackall launched one of the first trials utilizing a bispecific CAR aimed at offsetting immune escape. Her clinical trials are notable for the incorporation of deep biologic endpoints that further our understanding of the basis for success and failure of the agent under study. She has published over 170 manuscripts and serves in numerous leadership positions, including: co-Leader of the St. Baldrick’s-StandUp2Cancer Pediatric Dream Team, Chair of the AACR Pediatric Cancer Working Group, and Leader of the NCI Pediatric Cancer Immunotherapy Trials Network. She is Board Certified in Pediatrics and Internal Medicine.