Heather Gibson

Associate Professor of Oncology

hgibson@med.wayne.edu

Heather Gibson

Office address

Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute
4100 John R, HWCRC 823
Detroit, MI 48201

Office phone

313-576-8257

Biography

Cancer immunotherapy breakthroughs have shown tremendous promise, but there remains an urgency to determine which patients will respond and why many do not. My lab uses functional genomics and genetically diverse animal models to pinpoint genes and/or pathways involved in immunotherapy resistance. We have discovered putative regulators of both immune checkpoint inhibitors and anti-tumor antibody, also known as targeted immunotherapy. The goal is to identify both biomarkers and actionable targets to improve clinical outcomes. Additionally, we have multiple ongoing collaborative projects aimed at developing new strategies to engage the immune system against cancer.

Education

BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (2004): Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
PhD in Immunology (2011): Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan

Publications

Gibson ORCiD publications

Research interests

• Genetic regulation of immune response, particularly in the context of anti-tumor immunity
• Development of new immunotherapy strategies
• Regulation of T cell trafficking and activation in the tumor microenvironment (TME)
• Modulation of macrophages in the TME
• Imaging modalities to monitor immune activity in situ

Courses taught by Heather Gibson

Winter Term 2026

Fall Term 2025

Spring-Summer Term 2025

CB7300 - Special Topics in Cancer Biology

Winter Term 2025

Winter Term 2024

Recent university news spotlights

NIH funds project to investigate genetic variants related to racial differences in HER2+ breast cancer therapies

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