Simone Minnie, PhD
Assistant Professor
Medicine
School of Medicine

The Minnie lab studies tumor immunology in hematologic malignancies. We use preclinical models, high-parameter flow cytometry, and single-cell RNA sequencing to study resistance mechanisms to immunotherapies and standard-of-care therapies. These include stem cell transplantation, CAR T cells, bispecific antibodies, synthetic cytokines, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and immunomodulatory drugs.

Education & Training

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• Postdoc Immunology Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center 2025
• PhD Immunology University of Queensland 2019
• BSc Immunology University of Queensland 2014

Interests

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• Multiple myeloma
• T cells
• T cell exhaustion
• Immunotherapy
• CAR T cells
• Stem cell transplantation
• Microenvironment

Websites

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• Minnie Lab (minnielab.com)

Publications (20)

Top publication keywords:
Multiple MyelomaTransplantation, AutologousGraft vs Host DiseaseIsoantigensReceptors, ImmunologicAntigens, Differentiation, T-LymphocyteImmunotherapy, AdoptiveHematologic NeoplasmsCalcineurin InhibitorsProgrammed Cell Death 1 ReceptorTumor MicroenvironmentHematopoietic Stem Cell TransplantationCD8-Positive T-LymphocytesMyeloablative AgonistsInterleukin-10

• TIM-3+ CD8 T cells with a terminally exhausted phenotype retain functional capacity in hematological malignancies.
  Science immunology 2024 Minnie SA, Waltner OG, Zhang P, Takahashi S, Nemychenkov NS, Ensbey KS, Schmidt CR, Legg SRW, Comstock M, Boiko JR, Nelson E, Bhise SS, Wilkens AB, Koyama M, Dhodapkar MV, Chesi M, Riddell SR, Green …
• TIGIT inhibition and lenalidomide synergistically promote antimyeloma immune responses after stem cell transplantation in mice.
  The Journal of clinical investigation 2023 Minnie SA, Waltner OG, Ensbey KS, Olver SD, Collinge AD, Sester DP, Schmidt CR, Legg SR, Takahashi S, Nemychenkov NS, Sekiguchi T, Driessens G, Zhang P, Koyama M, Spencer A, Holmberg LA, Furlan SN, …
• Depletion of exhausted alloreactive T cells enables targeting of stem-like memory T cells to generate tumor-specific immunity.
  Science immunology 2022 Minnie SA, Waltner OG, Ensbey KS, Nemychenkov NS, Schmidt CR, Bhise SS, Legg SRW, Campoy G, Samson LD, Kuns RD, Zhou T, Huck JD, Vuckovic S, Zamora D, Yeh A, Spencer A, Koyama M, Markey KA, Lane SW, …
• Immunotherapy of multiple myeloma.
  The Journal of clinical investigation 2020 Minnie SA, Hill GR
• Bone marrow transplantation generates T cell-dependent control of myeloma in mice.
  The Journal of clinical investigation 2018 Vuckovic S, Minnie SA, Smith D, Gartlan KH, Watkins TS, Markey KA, Mukhopadhyay P, Guillerey C, Kuns RD, Locke KR, Pritchard AL, Johansson PA, Varelias A, Zhang P, Huntington ND, Waddell N, Chesi M, …
• Myeloma escape after stem cell transplantation is a consequence of T-cell exhaustion and is prevented by TIGIT blockade.
  Blood 2018 Minnie SA, Kuns RD, Gartlan KH, Zhang P, Wilkinson AN, Samson L, Guillerey C, Engwerda C, MacDonald KPA, Smyth MJ, Markey KA, Vuckovic S, Hill GR

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• Defining pathogenic IL-17 and CSF-1 gene expression signatures in chronic graft-versus-host disease.
  Blood 2025 Boiko JR, Ensbey KS, Waltner OG, Jenkins IC, Bhise SS, MacDonald KPA, Blazar BR, Hall AM, Gooley TA, Minnie SA, Lee SJ, Furlan SN, Hill GR
• Calcineurin inhibition rescues alloantigen-specific central memory T cell subsets that promote chronic GVHD. Reply.
  The Journal of clinical investigation 2024 Zhang P, Minnie SA, Hill GR
• Microbiota dictate T cell clonal selection to augment graft-versus-host disease after stem cell transplantation.
  Immunity 2024 Yeh AC, Koyama M, Waltner OG, Minnie SA, Boiko JR, Shabaneh TB, Takahashi S, Zhang P, Ensbey KS, Schmidt CR, Legg SRW, Sekiguchi T, Nelson E, Bhise SS, Stevens AR, Goodpaster T, Chakka S, Furlan SN, …
• Calcineurin inhibition rescues alloantigen-specific central memory T cell subsets that promote chronic GVHD.
  The Journal of clinical investigation 2024 Wang Y, Ullah MA, Waltner OG, Bhise SS, Ensbey KS, Schmidt CR, Legg SR, Sekiguchi T, Nelson EL, Kuns RD, Nemychenkov NS, Atilla E, Yeh AC, Takahashi S, Boiko JR, Varelias A, Blazar BR, Koyama M, …
• Regulatory T cells suppress myeloma-specific immunity during autologous stem cell mobilization and transplantation.
  Blood 2024 Takahashi S, Minnie SA, Ensbey KS, Schmidt CR, Sekiguchi T, Legg SRW, Zhang P, Koyama M, Olver SD, Collinge AD, Keshmiri S, Comstock ML, Varelias A, Green DJ, Hill GR
• IL-6-mediated endothelial injury impairs antiviral humoral immunity after bone marrow transplantation.
  The Journal of clinical investigation 2024 Zhang P, Fleming P, Andoniou CE, Waltner OG, Bhise SS, Martins JP, McEnroe BA, Voigt V, Daly S, Kuns RD, Ekwe AP, Henden AS, Saldan A, Olver S, Varelias A, Smith C, Schmidt CR, Ensbey KS, Legg SR, …
• Intestinal microbiota controls graft-versus-host disease independent of donor-host genetic disparity.
  Immunity 2023 Koyama M, Hippe DS, Srinivasan S, Proll SC, Miltiadous O, Li N, Zhang P, Ensbey KS, Hoffman NG, Schmidt CR, Yeh AC, Minnie SA, Strenk SM, Fiedler TL, Hattangady N, Kowalsky J, Grady WM, Degli-Esposti …
• Oncogenic drivers dictate immune control of acute myeloid leukemia.
  Nature communications 2023 Austin RJ, Straube J, Halder R, Janardhanan Y, Bruedigam C, Witkowski M, Cooper L, Porter A, Braun M, Souza-Fonseca-Guimaraes F, Minnie SA, Cooper E, Jacquelin S, Song A, Bald T, Nakamura K, Hill GR, …
• Multiparametric flow cytometry to characterize vaccine-induced polyfunctional T cell responses and T cell/NK cell exhaustion and memory phenotypes in mouse immuno-oncology models.
  Frontiers in immunology 2023 Moi D, Zeng B, Minnie SA, Bhatt R, Wood J, Sester DP, Mazzieri R, Dolcetti R
• Peritransplant glucocorticoids redistribute donor T cells to the bone marrow and prevent relapse after haploidentical SCT.
  JCI insight 2021 Inoue T, Koyama M, Kaida K, Ikegame K, Ensbey KS, Samson L, Takahashi S, Zhang P, Minnie SA, Maruyama S, Ishii S, Daimon T, Fukuda T, Nakamae H, Ara T, Maruyama Y, Ishiyama K, Ichinohe T, Atsuta Y, …
• Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation for Myeloma: Cytoreduction or an Immunotherapy?
  Frontiers in immunology 2021 Minnie SA, Hill GR
• IL-6 dysregulation originates in dendritic cells and mediates graft-versus-host disease via classical signaling.
  Blood 2019 Wilkinson AN, Chang K, Kuns RD, Henden AS, Minnie SA, Ensbey KS, Clouston AD, Zhang P, Koyama M, Hidalgo J, Rose-John S, Varelias A, Vuckovic S, Gartlan KH, Hill GR
• TIGIT immune checkpoint blockade restores CD8+ T-cell immunity against multiple myeloma.
  Blood 2018 Guillerey C, Harjunpää H, Carrié N, Kassem S, Teo T, Miles K, Krumeich S, Weulersse M, Cuisinier M, Stannard K, Yu Y, Minnie SA, Hill GR, Dougall WC, Avet-Loiseau H, Teng MWL, Nakamura K, Martinet L, …
• Flt-3L Expansion of Recipient CD8α+ Dendritic Cells Deletes Alloreactive Donor T Cells and Represents an Alternative to Posttransplant Cyclophosphamide for the Prevention of GVHD.
  Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research 2018 Markey KA, Kuns RD, Browne DJ, Gartlan KH, Robb RJ, Martins JP, Henden AS, Minnie SA, Cheong M, Koyama M, Smyth MJ, Steptoe RJ, Belz GT, Brocker T, Degli-Esposti MA, Lane SW, Hill GR