About Oladapo Yeku, MD, PhD, FACP
Dr. Yeku completed his fellowship training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). During his fellowship training, Dr. Yeku developed broad expertise in the management of a broad variety of gynecologic malignancies, including rare tumors such as clear cell and sarcomas. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians. He has a Ph.D. in molecular and cellular pharmacology and has received postdoctoral training in immunotherapy and adoptive cellular therapy. While at MSKCC, he conducted preclinical, translational and clinical research on Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cells for ovarian cancer. His training and expertise include standard systemic treatment options, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and clinical trials. As part of a multidisciplinary group, he works with Gynecologic Oncology surgeons, Radiation Oncologists, nurses, and social workers to provide state-of-the-art individualized therapy to his patients.
Departments, Centers, & Programs:
Clinical Interests:
- Immunotherapy
- Phase I Clinical Trials
- Translational research
- Translational research into rare gynecologic cancers
Treats:
- Adult
Languages:
- Yoruba
Locations
Mass General Cancer Center
55 Fruit St.
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: 617-726-5130
Phone: 877-726-5130
Mass General Cancer Center at Newton-Wellesley
2014 Washington St.
Newton, MA 02462
Phone: 617-219-1230
Medical Education
- PhD, Stony Brook University
- MD, Stony Brook University School of Medicine
- Residency, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
- Fellowship, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
American Board Certifications
- Internal Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine
- Medical Oncology, American Board of Internal Medicine
Accepted Insurance Plans
- Aetna
- Beech Street
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare
- Cigna
- Commonwealth Care Alliance
- Coventry
- Fallon Health
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
- Humana
- Maine Community Health Options
- Mass General Brigham Health Plan
- MassHealth
- Medicaid ME
- Medicaid NH
- Medicaid RI
- Medicaid VT
- Medicare
- Medicare ACO
- Multiplan
- Railroad Medicare
- Senior Whole Health
- TriCare
- Tufts Health Plan
- United Health Care
- Wellpoint
- WellSense
- WellSense NH
Note: This provider may accept more insurance plans than shown; please call the practice to find out if your plan is accepted.
Research
Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T Cells for Ovarian Cancer
Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cells have not been successful in the management of solid tumor malignancies. Reasons for this include; poor trafficking, the presence of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, CAR T-cell dysfunction, and immune escape via antigen-loss. We are developing strategies to further modify CAR T cells to optimize their efficacy for ovarian cancer and gynecologic malignancies. Our approaches to further engineering these CAR T cells are informed by the ovarian cancer tumor microenvironment. Using syngeneic immune-competent mouse models and subsequent validation in genetically engineered and xenograft models, we are able to effectively evaluate these rationally optimized CAR T cells as monotherapy or in combination with other immunomodulatory agents prior to initiation of clinical trials.
Publications
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Targeted delivery of a PD-1-blocking scFv by CAR-T cells enhances anti-tumor efficacy in vivo. Nat Biotechnol. 2018 Oct;36(9):847-856. PMID: 30102295. *Co-first author
2. Avanzi MP, Yeku O*#, Li X, Wijewarnasuriya DP, van Leeuwen DG, Cheung K, Park H, Purdon TJ, Daniyan AF, Spitzer MH, Brentjens RJ#. Engineered Tumor-Targeted T Cells Mediate Enhanced Anti-Tumor Efficacy Both Directly and through Activation of the Endogenous Immune System. Cell Rep. 2018;23(7):2130-41. PMID: 29768210. *Co-first author, # corresponding author
3. Yeku OO, Purdon TJ, Koneru M, Spriggs D, Brentjens RJ. Armored CAR T cells enhance antitumor efficacy and overcome the tumor microenvironment. Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):10541. PMID: 28874817
4. Yeku O, Li X, Brentjens RJ. Adoptive T-Cell Therapy for Solid Tumors. Am Soc Clin Oncol Educ Book. 2017;37:193-204. PMID: 28561728