Researcher Spotlight: Mengyang Di, MD, PhD

University of Washington

Bispecific T-cell engagers have emerged as an important treatment option for the management of relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma. These therapies harness the anti-cancer activity of the patient’s own T cell by bringing them into close contact with lymphoma cells, allowing for more efficient targeting. Pirtobrutinib is a targeted Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, which Dr. Di hopes to use in combination with the bispecific T-cell engager mosunetuzumab to improve its efficacy and safety. “It has the potential to make T cells healthier, which may help improve efficacy,” Dr. Di explains. “It may also help decrease the immune-related side effects — such as cytokine release syndrome — through anti-inflammatory activity.” Dr. Di hopes that this combined treatment approach may help to improve outcomes and experiences with bispecific T-cell engager therapy.

Dr. Di earned her medical degree from Peking Union Medical College in China and her doctoral degree from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She completed a hematology/oncology fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine and is now an assistant professor and lymphoma clinician at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle. As a clinical investigator, Dr. Di hopes to drive clinical innovations that improve outcomes in patients with B-cell lymphoma, with a focus on indolent diseases.