Meghan Ward, PhD, is a biomedical researcher dedicated to developing immune-based therapies for children with malignant brain tumors. With a focus on medulloblastoma—one of the most common pediatric brain cancers—her work seeks to harness the potential of engineered T cells to selectively target and eliminate tumor cells while sparing healthy tissue.
Ward earned her PhD in Chemistry from Northwestern University and a BS in Chemistry from Auburn University. Her research trajectory spans from molecular chemistry to immunotherapy and translational medicine. Currently based at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, she is investigating how cellular therapies like CAR T cells can be optimized to overcome resistance and improve outcomes for children with aggressive cancers. In addition to therapeutic development, her work includes identifying mechanisms of tumor evasion and exploring combinatorial approaches that enhance treatment efficacy.
She is a recipient of the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation Young Investigator Award and has held fellowships through the NIH and a T32 Pediatric Immunology and Immuno-Oncology training grant. Her research has been published in high-impact journals including Cell, Pharmacological Reviews, and Cell Reports Medicine, reflecting her commitment to advancing science from bench to bedside.
Ward joined the Master’s in Clinical Investigations program at the St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences to gain formal training in clinical trial design and implementation. Motivated by a desire to bring new therapies from the lab into clinical care, she views this program as a critical step toward becoming a translational scientist who can navigate both the scientific and regulatory pathways necessary to bring hope to children facing devastating diagnoses.
Hometown: Knoxville, TN
Education:
2022 - PhD, Chemistry – Northwestern University
2017 - BS, Chemistry – Auburn University
Awards/Honors/Scholarships:
2024 - Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation Young Investigator Award
2023-24 - Pediatric Immunology and Immuno-Oncology T32 Award
2019-22 - NIH F31 Predoctoral Fellowship
Publications:
Ward, M.B.; Krenciute, G. The Neurological Toll of CAR T cell Therapy. Cell. Accepted.
Ward, M.B.; Jones, A.B.; Krenciute, G. Therapeutic advantage of combinatorial chimeric antigen receptor T cell and chemotherapies. Pharmacological Reviews. 2024, 77, 100011.
Ibanez, J.; Hebbar, N.; Thanekar, U.; Yi, Z.; Ward, M.; Nevitt, C.; Tian, L.; Mack, SC.; Sheppard, H.; Chiang, J.; Velasquez, MP.; Krenciute, G. GRP78-CAR T cell effector function against soldi and brain tumors is controlled by GRP78 expression on T cells. Cell Reports Medicine. 2023, 4, 101297.
Dukes, M.W.; Krenciute, G. Steering CAR T cell epigenetic programs by tweaking manufacturing protocol. Cell Reports Medicine. 2023, 4, 101080.
Dukes, M.W.; Meade, T.J. Modulation of Hedgehog Signaling for the Treatment of Basal Cell Carcinoma and the Development of Preclinical Models. Biomedicines. 2022, 10, 2376.
Dukes, M.W.; Modo, M.; Meade, T.J. Non-invasive Detection of Stem Cell Therapies Facilitated by Metal Ion-Based Contrast Agents in Molecular Biosnesors and the Role of Metal Ions (MILS-23). Sigel, A., Freisinger, E., Sigel, R.K.O., Eds.; Thomas J Meade, GmbH: Berlin, Germany. 2022, 261-286.
Dukes, M.W.; Bajema, L.; Whittemore, T. J.; Holmgren, R.; Meade, T.J. Delivery of Targeted Cobalt(III)-DNA Inhibitors of Gli Transcription Factors for Disruption of Hedgehog Signaling. Bioconjug. Chem. 2022, 33, 643-653.
Brue, C.R., Dukes, M.W., Masotti, M., Holmgren, R., Meade, T.J. Disruption of Gli1-DNA Recognition Via a Cobalt(III) Complex. ChemMedChem. 2022, 17.
Ward, M.; Yu, M.; Scheitler, A.; Zillmann, A.; Gorden, J.; Schwartz, D.; Ivanović-Burmazović, I.; Goldsmith, C. Superoxide Dismutase Mimicry by a Zinc(II) Complex with a Redox-Active Ligand. Nature Chem. 2018, 10, 1207-1212.
Yu, M.; Ward, M.B.; Ambrose, S.L.; Whaley, Z.L.; Bradford, T.M.; Gorden, J.D.; Beyers, R.; Cattley, C.R.; Schwartz, D.D.; Goldsmith, C.R., (2016) Adding a Second Quinol to a Redox-Responsive MRI Contrast Agent Improves its Relaxivity Response to H2O2. Inorg. Chem. 2017, 56, 2812-2826.