Mount Sinai’s Nina Bhardwaj Elected to National Academy of Medicine for Contributions to Cancer Immunotherapy

Nina Bhardwaj, MD, PhD, Ward-Coleman Chair in Cancer Research and Director of the Vaccine and Cell Therapy Laboratory at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) for her pioneering work in cancer immunotherapy.

Election to the NAM is considered one of the highest honors in health and medicine, recognizing individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. With Dr. Bhardwaj's election, Mount Sinai now has 27 faculty members in the National Academies of Medicine and/or Sciences.

“Dr. Bhardwaj’s election to the National Academy of Medicine is a testament to her significant contributions to the field of cancer research and her unwavering commitment to improving long-term health outcomes,” says Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of Icahn Mount Sinai and President for Academic Affairs of the Mount Sinai Health System. “Her pioneering work on personalized cancer vaccines and her focus on improving immune response in patients exemplifies her dedication to transforming cancer treatment globally.”

Among her many accomplishments, Dr. Bhardwaj has significantly advanced the understanding of how to fight cancer by using innate immune cells to reverse immunosuppression in tumor microenvironments. In particular, her team discovered a subset of dendritic cells, which play a key role in initiating an immune response. Subsequently she gained further insights on how dendritic cells work by generating and growing them in her lab.

Earlier this year, Dr. Bhardwaj authored a study published in Nature Communications that sheds light on how T cells can effectively recognize and attack cancer cells through the targeting of neoantigens—unique markers that arise from mutations in cancer DNA. In the investigation, the scientists focused on a specific neoantigen derived from a type of melanoma known as B16F10. By developing a peptide-based vaccine that incorporates these neoantigens, the team demonstrated a significant enhancement in the immune response, enabling T cells to better identify and combat cancer cells. This work led to pioneering several neoantigen vaccine studies at The Tisch Cancer Institute. Her team will shortly share findings from three neoantigen vaccine trials that look promising in multiple cancers, including bladder and brain cancers. They are working on two other trials, in prostate cancer and Myeloproliferative neoplasms, a group of rare conditions that affect the blood. Dr. Bhardwaj has also developed dendritic-cell-based and dendritic-cell-targeted vaccines for the treatment of both cancer and infection in several investigator-initiated studies.

In September 2022, Dr. Bhardwaj and fellow Mount Sinai researchers made two important discoveries about the mechanism by which bladder cancer cells foil attacks from the immune system. The research, published in Cancer Cell in September, could lead to a new therapeutic option for patients with these types of tumors.

She also received the 2022 Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research award from the American Association of Indian Scientists in Cancer Research, which is presented annually to an outstanding scientist who has made significant contributions to cancer research, either through a scientific discovery or through their body of work. 

“I owe much of my success to the outstanding mentors and colleagues who have believed in our mission to improve cancer treatment,” she said. “I am incredibly thankful to Steven Burakoff, MD, at Mount Sinai; Lloyd Old, MD, who is known worldwide as the father of modern tumor immunology; and Ralph Steinman, MD, who was awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the dendritic cell. Their faith in the potential of the immune system to combat cancer has been instrumental in my own journey and research. I am also grateful for the continued support from my team at Mount Sinai, as well as Dr. Charney; former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kenneth L. Davis, MD, and Brendan G. Carr, MD, MA, MS, our current CEO, as well as my family, whose encouragement means everything to me.”

Dr. Bhardwaj, who earned her MD and PhD at New York University School of Medicine in 1981, emphasizes the importance of community outreach and education to ensure that all patients, regardless of their background, are informed about their cancer risks and the screenings available to them. By integrating equitable practices into her work, she aims to empower individuals and enhance access to cutting-edge therapies, ultimately working towards a future where high-quality cancer care is accessible to everyone. 

New members are elected to the NAM by current active members through a selective process that recognizes leaders making major contributions to the advancement of medical sciences, health care, and public health. Established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, NAM serves as a national resource providing independent, objective analysis and advice on health issues.

The election of Dr. Bhardwaj brings Mount Sinai’s total membership in the National Academies of Medicine and/or Sciences to 27 current and emeritus faculty members. The others are Joseph D. Buxbaum, PhD • Yvette Calderon, MD, MS • Neil S. Calman, MD • Brendan Carr, MD, MS • Dennis S. Charney, MD • Judy Cho, MD • Kenneth L. Davis, MD • Robert J. Desnick, MD, PhD • Angela Diaz, MD, MPH • Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD • Adolfo García-Sastre, PhD • Bruce Gelb, MD • Alison M. Goate, DPhil • Yasmin L. Hurd, PhD • Philip J. Landrigan, MD, MSc • Helen S. Mayberg, MD • Diane E. Meier, MD •Miriam Merad, MD, PhD • Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD • Peter Palese, PhD • Ramon E. Parsons, MD, PhD • Lynne D. Richardson, MD • Hugh A. Sampson, MD • Albert Siu, MD, MSPH • Barbara G. Vickrey, MD, MPH • Rachel Yehuda, PhD.