Radiation Oncology

The Demaria Lab

The Demaria’s lab has a central interest in addressing the molecular mechanisms whereby ionizing radiation modulates tumor immunogenicity, and exploiting this property of radiation to achieve a therapeutic synergy with immunotherapy in pre-clinical tumor models and in cancer patients. We have recently demonstrated that radiation-induced viral mimicry in cancer cells leads to activation of type I interferon via the cGAS/STING pathway. In vivo, this process contributes to the recruitment and activation of conventional dendritic cells type I (cDC1) to the irradiated tumor and promotes cross-priming and activation of tumor-specific T cells. Ongoing work is addressing other pathways that regulate the ability of radiation to generate an in situ tumor vaccine by modulating innate and adaptive immune cells function. In addition, we found that the transcriptional response elicited by radiation-induced DNA damage enhances the expression of immunogenic mutations, and are investigating the radiation-induced changes in the immunopeptidome presented by MHC class I and MHC class II molecules.

MEMBERS

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Sandra Demaria, MD

Principal Investigator

szd3005@med.cornell.edu

Sandra Demaria, M.D., a native of Turin, Italy, obtained her M.D. from the University of Turin, and then moved to New York for her post-doctoral training in immunology as a Damon Runyon-Walter Winchell Cancer Research Fund awardee, followed by a residency in anatomic pathology at NYU School of Medicine (NYU SoM). She remained on the faculty at NYU SoM until 2015 raising to the rank of Professor. She is currently Professor of Radiation Oncology and Pathology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. Dr. Demaria is internationally known for her studies demonstrating the synergy of local radiation therapy with different immunotherapeutic agents in pre-clinical models of cancer. She was the first to show that radiotherapy can convert tumors unresponsive to immune checkpoint inhibitors into responsive ones, a finding being translated in several clinical trials at multiple institutions. As a breast cancer pathologist Dr. Demaria has also studied the immunological microenvironment of breast cancer in patients, and therapeutic strategies to modulate the immune infiltrate in preclinical breast cancer models. Her current work is funded by the US National Cancer Institute and by several private foundations. She has held leadership positions in national professional societies, including the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) where she served on the Board, the AACR Cancer Immunology Working Group Steering Committee, and the Radiation Research Society. She serves in the editorial board of several journals, including The Journal of Immunology, Cancer Immunology Research, Clinical Cancer Research, and Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer.

 Demaria lab

Maud Charpentier, Ph.D.

Research Associate

mfc4001@med.cornell.edu

Dr. Maud Charpentier is an immunology researcher with expertise in cancer immunology and immunotherapy. She earned her Master’s degree in immunology, cancerology, and immunotherapy, followed by a PhD in cancer immunotherapy from the University of Nantes, France. During her doctoral studies, her research focused on the characterization of melanoma-specific tumor antigens, specifically those translated from long non-coding RNAs through IRES-dependent mechanisms. She is currently a Research Associate in Dr. Sandra Demaria's lab, where she completed her postdoctoral training. With a primary objective of designing enhanced clinical immunotherapy approaches, her work aims to enhance the in-situ vaccination effect of radiation therapy by exploring novel combination treatments with cell- and antibody-based immunotherapies in breast cancer models.

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Ruth Soler Agesta, Ph.D.

Post-Doctoral Associate

rms4005@med.cornell.edu

Ruth joins the department as a Postdoctoral Associate, where she is investigating the effect of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs)-containing RNA:DNA hybrids produced by irradiated cancer cells, on the recruitment and activation of professional antigen-presenting cells (DCs). Prior to joining Demaria's lab, she obtained her Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Zaragoza (Spain; 2024). During the last year of her Ph.D. studies, Ruth joined the department of Radiation Oncology as a Visiting Graduate Student. She holds a B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Mons (Belgium, 2015), an M.Sc. in Biochemistry and Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Zaragoza (Spain, 2017), and a Master’s in Research in Health Sciences from the University of San Jorge (Spain, 2019). Her research interests have long focused on the molecular mechanisms regulating interferogenic signaling pathways. Ruth is also keenly interested in forms of immunogenic cell death as well as the role of mitochondria in antitumor immune responses.

Demaria lab

Eneko Garate, Ph.D.

Post-Doctoral Associate

eng4003@med.cornell.edu

Eneko is a biomedical researcher with a strong background in radiation oncology and cancer immunotherapy. He recently completed his PhD at CIMA, University of Navarra, in Spain, where he trained under Dr. María Rodríguez and Dr. Ignacio Melero. His work focused on combinatorial strategies integrating radiotherapy with immunotherapy to enhance anti-tumor immune responses. His research explored how modulation of the tumor microenvironment can improve therapeutic efficacy, including studies combining radiotherapy with intratumoral immunostimulatory agents and targeted immune costimulatory approaches. At Weill Cornell Medicine, Eneko joins the lab as a Postdoctoral Researcher, where his research will focus on understanding mechanisms of immune activation and resistance in cancer, particularly the interplay between oncogenic signaling pathways and innate immune sensing pathways that shape anti-tumor immunity and responses to therapy. Beyond his research, Eneko has been actively involved in scientific leadership and translational initiatives, including life sciences consulting and venture capital, and is passionate about bridging academic innovation with real-world therapeutic development. Outside the lab, Eneko enjoys running, exploring New York city and grabbing a coffee.

Demaria lab

Diego Sialer

Medical Student

dos4002@med.cornell.edu

Diego is a fourth-year medical student at Weill Cornell Medical College. He was born in Lima, Peru, and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. He attended Yale University and received a BS in Molecular Biology and Psychology. Before medical school, he returned to Birmingham and joined Dr. Hui Hu’s lab, where he studied the differentiation of T-follicular helper cells. Learning of the profound influence of immunological processes on human health, he joined the department with an interest in how the immune system interfaces with cancer. He is currently spending a research year in Dr. Demaria’s lab, supported by the Burroughs Wellcome Physician-Scientist Program. His research focus includes cancer cell-intrinsic responses to radiation, innate immunity and the use of 3D cell culture to model the tumor microenvironment. He aims to become a medical oncologist with research interests in optimizing the use of immunotherapies. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his friends, family and dogs.

Recent Publications 

For a complete list of peer-reviewed publications from Sandra Demaria, please visit here

FORMER LAB MEMBERS

Post-Doctoral Associates

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SD1

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Research Visiting Fellows:

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Graduate Student:     

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Summer Students:

Demaria lab summer student

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David H. Koch Center

New York-Presbyterian Hospital/
Weill Cornell Medical Center
1283 York Avenue, 4th floor
New York, NY 10065
Tel: (212) 746-3600
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Stich Radiation Oncology Center

New York-Presbyterian Hospital/
Weill Cornell Medical Center
525 East 68th Street
New York, NY 10065
Tel: (212) 746-3600
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The Arnold Center For Radiation Oncology

New York-Presbyterian Hospital Queens
56-45 Main Street
(56th Avenue between Main Street and 141st Street)
Flushing, NY 11355
Tel: (718) 670-1501

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