Oncologist-immunologist and Stanford Assistant Professor, trained under Ron Levy in the Levy Lab on Lymphocytes and Lymphoma. Launched his independent lab in 2012. Died February 2016, age 38, from complications of severe hemophilia.

Kohrt established the mechanistic rationale for combining NK checkpoint release (anti-KIR) with tumor-targeting antibodies — a concept now embedded in multiple active clinical programs. His dual PhD in biostatistics and tumor immunology made him equally rigorous in trial design and bench science. At the time of his death, five novel patented immuno-oncology approaches were in active development.

Tributes: The Lancet · Clinical Cancer Research (AACR) · Blood/ASH Clinical News · PMC5084977

Immunologist and Associate Professor of Medicine at WashU, where he serves as GU Oncology Research Director at the Siteman Cancer Center. Joined WashU faculty in 2014. ACS Research Scholar and Harrington Discovery Institute Scholar.

His core discovery: chemerin — an endogenous chemoattractant — is systematically down-regulated across tumor types. Restoring chemerin drives pDC, CD8+ T cell, and NK cell infiltration into the tumor microenvironment, suppressing tumor growth through immune surveillance and trafficking. This mechanism underpins both the original CombImmune thesis and his current work at Pixie BioSciences.

Key Data — Chemerin recruits tumor-infiltrating immune effectors

Chemerin drives pDC, CD8+ T cell, and NK cell infiltration into the tumor microenvironment vs. control (* p<0.05). Source: Pachynski lab / CombImmune.