Diane

Tseng

M.D.

Ph.D.

Research and/or clinical interests 

Immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of lung cancer and offers patients with advanced disease newfound hope. However, it is not known why only some patients benefit from this treatment. Dr. Diane Tseng’s research program seeks to answer this question by delving deeply into genetic and environmental influences on the human immune system. Her research interrogates the relationship between how the immune system recognizes pathogens like viruses and how it recognizes tumors. She recently discovered that the same immune cells (called T cells) that fight viruses can also recognize lung cancer. Dr. Tseng’s research program is examining precisely how T cells targeting viruses affect clinical outcomes for patients undergoing immunotherapy. By better understanding the complex interplay between the immune system, viruses, and lung cancer, her research has the potential to lead to novel treatment approaches to give every patient the best possible chance in their fight against lung cancer.