Crystal Mackall

Crystal Mackall is Professor of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine at Stanford University. During a 27-year tenure culminating as Chief of the Pediatric Oncology Branch, NCI, and now through the Mackall Lab at Stanford, she has led an internationally recognized basic and translational research program focused on immuno-oncology.

Crystal is credited with identifying an essential role for the thymus in human T cell regeneration and discovering IL-7 as the master regulator of T cell homeostasis. She has conducted numerous early phase and first-in-human and first-in-child clinical trials spanning dendritic cell vaccines, cytokines, and adoptive immunotherapy using NK cells and genetically modified T cells. Her group was among the first to demonstrate impressive activity of CD19-CAR in pediatric leukemia, developed a novel CD22-CAR with impressive activity in leukemia and lymphoma refractory to CD19 targeting, and is leading exciting work focusing on CAR T cell therapy for brain tumors.

Crystal serves in numerous national leadership positions, including co-PI on the NCI Pediatric Cancer Immunotherapy Network (U54), Leader of the NCI Pediatric Cancer Immunotherapy Trials Network, and co-Leader of the St. Baldrick’s-StandUp2Cancer Pediatric Dream Team.

Crystal holds a B.S. in Natural Sciences from the University of Akron and an M.D. from Northeast Ohio Medical University. She is Board Certified in Pediatrics, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and Internal Medicine.