Hideho Okada, MD, PhD
Director, Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Center at UCSF
Principal Investigator, Brain Tumor Center
Member, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy
Research Interests: immunotherapy, cancer vaccines, T-cell therapy
Trained as a physician-scientist, Dr. Okada has been dedicated to understanding the immune mechanisms in brain tumors and developing novel immunotherapy strategies for brain tumor patients for over 25 years. He has translated his laboratory discoveries and developed more than 10 investigational new drug (IND) applications that the FDA approved for early-phase clinical trials, including genetically engineered glioma vaccines and T cell receptor (TCR)- or chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-transduced T cell therapy in both adult and pediatric patients.
Recently, Dr. Okada developed the first-in-human phase studies evaluating novel synNotch-primed CAR T cells to overcome antigen heterogeneity, off-tumor toxicity, and T-cell exhaustion issues. Dr. Okada leads large multidisciplinary collaborations for developing these studies, such as with Dr. Wendell Lim, who originally developed the synNotch-CAR system. Dr. Okada’s team has also pioneered discoveries of novel immunoregulatory mechanisms in gliomas, such as ones mediated by myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) and mutations of the isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)1 and IDH2. His team also plays pioneering roles in applying focused ultrasound (FUS) to enhance the immune response across the blood-brain barrier.
Dr. Okada is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (2010-present), an honored society for physicians who promote laboratory science to the clinic. Dr. Okada also serves as an associate editor for Neuro-Oncology, the prominent journal for brain tumor research.
1991: Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan, MD
1991-1992: Internship, Handa Municipal Hospital, Japan
1992-1996: Residency, Neurosurgery, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan
1996: Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan, PhD
1998-2001: Research Assistant Professor, Neurosurgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
2001-2006: Assistant Professor, Neurosurgery and Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
2004-2007: Co-Program Leader, Brain Tumor Program, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
2007-2012: Associate Professor, Neurosurgery and Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
2012-2014: Professor, Neurosurgery, Surgery and Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
2014-Present: Professor, Neurological Surgery, UCSF
2023: Basic Research Trailblazer Award from Pacific Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Consortium
2022: Keynote Lecturer at the 2022 Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuro-Oncology
2021: Mike and Dianne Traynor Lectureship, The Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre at the University of Toronto
2018: Chair, AACR Special Conference, Immunobiology of Primary and Metastatic CNS Cancer, American Association for Cancer Research
2016: Makoto Saito Memorial Award from Japan Neurosurgical Society
2014: Faculty Honoree in the Annual Convocation of University of Pittsburgh
2013: Faculty Honoree in the Annual Convocation of University of Pittsburgh
2011: Faculty Honoree in the Annual Convocation of University of Pittsburgh
2012: Innovator Award, University of Pittsburgh
2011: Faculty Honoree in the Annual Convocation of University of Pittsburgh
2010: Team Science Recognition Award by Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer
2010: Selected to be a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI)
2009: Faculty Honoree in the Annual Convocation of University of Pittsburgh
2009: Appointed Council in the Clinical Immunology Society
2008: University of Pittsburgh Innovator Award
2007: Excellence in Translational Medicine Award 2006-07 from Journal of Translational Medicine
2003: James S. McDonnell Foundation 21st Century Science Initiative Research Award: Brain Cancer Research
2001: Doris Duke Charitable Foundation’s Clinical Scientist Development Award
1998: First Place, Award for Scientific Excellence and Potential, 10th Annual University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute Scientific Retreat
1996: Uehara Memorial Foundation Postdoctoral Scholarship