Damon Runyon Researchers

One of the persistent challenges in treating high-risk pediatric leukemia, particularly in cases of acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AMKL), is the high incidence of relapse due to resistance to standard treatments such as chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation. T cell therapy has shown potential in treating various types of leukemia, offering the prospect of overcoming mechanisms that tumor cells employ to evade traditional therapies. However, a significant challenge in T cell therapy for AMKL lies in identifying T cells that are able to recognize and target leukemia cells specifically. Dr. Balood’s research is dedicated to advancing T cell therapy for AMKL. He plans to test and identify T cell clones that specifically recognize and eliminate leukemia cells with the goal of translating these findings into an effective T cell therapy with minimal toxicity in leukemia patients. Dr. Balood received his PhD from University of Montreal School of Medicine, Montreal, his MS from Tarbiat Modares University School of Medicine, Tehran, and his BS from Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz.