The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) is an unprecedented collaboration among the world’s leading researchers, doctors, and cancer centers, all dedicated to a single mission: accelerate the development of breakthrough immune therapies to turn all cancers into curable diseases.
The PICI Network comprises research institutions that have made seminal contributions to the field of immuno-oncology for decades, including Stanford Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, University of California San Francisco, University of Pennsylvania, Gladstone Institutes, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and as of 2023, Weill Cornell Medicine (to learn more about Weill Cornell Medicine joining the PICI Network, click here).
By encouraging cooperation, data sharing, and industry partnership, PICI aims to eliminate the intellectual silos that stifle progress and work together on common goals to turn cancer research ideas into real-world results.
Mission and vision:
PICI scientists at MCC are driving ground-breaking innovations in science and medicine that will advance therapies and limit heterogeneous outcomes through strategic partnerships across the cancer continuum. By assembling immunobiologists, cell therapists, and population scientists, PICI at MCC ensures cutting-edge science-driven research and trials serve our community.
Areas of scientific interest:
- Next-generation cell therapy
- Agonist pathways
- Intersection of metabolism and cancer immunology
- In situ and exogenous vaccines
- Reprogramming a suppressive tumor microenvironment
PICI Center Directors at WCM:
PICI Investigators
Roberta Zappasodi, PhD
PICI Member Researcher
Assistant Professor of Hematology in Medicine
Mohamad Hamieh, PhD
PICI Member Researcher
Assistant Professor of Immunology in Pediatrics
Niroshana Anandasabapathy, MD, PhD
PICI Member Researcher
Associate Professor of Dermatology
Juan Cubillos-Ruiz, PhD
PICI Member Researcher
Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology in Obstetrics and Gynecology
David Artis, PhD
PICI Member Researcher
Professor of Immunology in Medicine
Chun-Jun Guo, PhD
PICI Member Researcher
Associate Professor of Immunology in Medicine
Jonathan Villena-Vargas, MD
PICI Member Researcher
Assistant Professor of Clinical Cardiothoracic Surgery
Antonio Marzio, PhD
PICI Member Researcher
Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Nicholas Collins, PhD
PICI Member Researcher
Assistant Professor of Immunology in Medicine
Greg Sonnenberg, PhD
PICI Project Member
Professor of Microbiology and Immunology in Medicine
Despina Siolas, MD, PhD
PICI Project Member
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Manish Shah, MD
PICI Project Member
Professor of Medicine
Contact Us:
Miriam Ferrer Gonzalez, PhD - Collaborative Research Administrator | PICI@WCM (mif4017@med.cornell.edu)
Miriam is the primary point of contact for PICI-related matters. She connects the overarching strategy of the partnership between WCM and PICI to ensure the implementation and execution of projects and deliverables, manages and develops operational aspects of the program, plans and executes communication strategies, ensures compliance, and coordinates the program budget.
