Faculty profile

Naoto Hirano

ResearcherTumor ImmunologyUniversity of Toronto

This profile is built from public research funding records (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC) and PubMed. We have not imported them from a University of Toronto directory, so their courses may be missing. Find their university profile.

Naoto Hirano

Researcher

Tumor Immunology

Health Sciences

University of Toronto

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Supervision signals

Has led research grants, which requires an independent research appointment. Ask their department whether they supervise graduate students.
11 publications in the last five years, latest in 2026.
Senior (last) author on 3 recent papers, a sign of leading a research group.
Principal investigator on 7 research grants (7 CIHR), most recently in 2024.
Supervisor on 2 trainee awards (2 CIHR), most recently in 2018.

These signals come from public records, including CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions. Ask the professor or the graduate program whether they are taking new students.

Academic metrics

Publications

178

Citations

Collaborators

Grants

Publications by year

Counts cover the publications linked to this profile. Citations and the h-index appear when the source records them.

Profiles and links

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Signals and details

Research

Immunotherapy T Cell Breast Cancer Combination Therapy Drug Development Targeted Therapy Bispecific T Cell Engager Hla

Latest papers

Identification of broadly tumour-reactive γδ TCRs from multiple myeloma.
Nature · 2026
CAR T Cells Targeting an Intracellular Leukemia Antigen Promiscuously Presented by Diverse HLA-II Alleles.
Blood cancer discovery · 2026 · senior author
CD28-driven ex vivo generation of stem-like memory CD8+ T cells bypassing CD3/TCR signaling.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026 · senior author

All 43 publications

Latest funding

Using spatially defined analysis of TCR and BCR repertoires for analysis of immune evolution and lymphocyte clonal selection in pancreatic cancer
CIHR · 2025 · Co-investigator
$1,357,875
Canada Research Chair - Tier 1
CIHR · 2024 · Nominated PI
$1,400,000
Advancing Cancer Immunotherapy: Ex Vivo Expansion of Human Stem-Like Memory CD8 T Cells Using Standardized Artificial Antigen-Presenting Cells
CIHR · 2024 · Nominated PI
$300,000

All 11 grants and awards

43 publications.

Identification of broadly tumour-reactive γδ TCRs from multiple myeloma.

St Paul M, Hendrikse LD, Ying F, Snow BE, Luo P, Helke S, Smith LK, Hilal A, Abelman DD, Ramamurthy N, Nault H, Wei EN, Gold MJ, Tobin C, Lien SC, Liu Y, Zhou W, Zhang X, Nguyen D, Agbede O, Pedersen S, Eagles J, Saunders ME, Berger T, Wakeham A, Scott DS, Ly D, de Campos CB, Liang G, Zheng C, Wilson WV, Masih-Khan E, White D, McCurdy A, Louzada ML, Kotb R, Chu MP, Parkin S, Reece D, Gul E, Tiedemann R, Pugh TJ, Hirano N, Ohashi PS, Stewart AK, Trudel S, Mak TW

Nature2026

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-11055-9 PMID: 42749802

CAR T Cells Targeting an Intracellular Leukemia Antigen Promiscuously Presented by Diverse HLA-II Alleles.

Zheng EYF, Wang CH, Ochi T, Ohashi Y, Ihara F, Fukao S, Ito Y, Boukhaled GM, Wang BX, Han DH, Wei X, Yolmo P, Burt BD, Saso K, Matsunaga Y, Ly D, Kagoya Y, Butler MO, Minden MD, Hirano N

Blood cancer discovery2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1158/2643-3230.bcd-25-0230 PMID: 42599152

CD28-driven ex vivo generation of stem-like memory CD8+ T cells bypassing CD3/TCR signaling.

Ihara F, Ohashi Y, Zheng EYF, Fukao S, Rodrigo R, Noamani B, Boukhaled GM, Wang BX, Han DH, Wei X, Burt BD, Saso K, Matsunaga Y, Ly D, Kagoya Y, Butler MO, Mak TW, Saibil SD, Hirano N

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2524626123 PMID: 42012954

Delineation and monitoring of the T cell repertoire of adoptive cell transfer product during the treatment of advanced melanoma.

Kerr C, Soleimani S, Mulder DT, Nabbi A, Gray D, Pedersen S, Sotov V, Sudhaman S, Nguyen L, Hirano N, Ohashi PS, Butler MO, Pugh TJ

Genome medicine2025

DOI: 10.1186/s13073-025-01583-w PMID: 41402893

Ex vivo activation of the GCN2 pathway metabolically reprograms T cells, leading to enhanced adoptive cell therapy.

St Paul M, Saibil SD, Kates M, Han S, Lien SC, Laister RC, Hezaveh K, Kloetgen A, Penny S, Guo T, Garcia-Batres C, Smith LK, Chung DC, Elford AR, Sayad A, Pinto D, Mak TW, Hirano N, McGaha T, Ohashi PS

Cell reports. Medicine2024

DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101465 PMID: 38460518

Tumor reactive γδ T cells contribute to a complete response to PD-1 blockade in a Merkel cell carcinoma patient.

Lien SC, Ly D, Yang SYC, Wang BX, Clouthier DL, St Paul M, Gadalla R, Noamani B, Garcia-Batres CR, Boross-Harmer S, Bedard PL, Pugh TJ, Spreafico A, Hirano N, Razak ARA, Ohashi PS

Nature communications2024

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45449-y PMID: 38321065

Molecular, metabolic, and functional CD4 T cell paralysis in the lymph node impedes tumor control.

Guo M, Abd-Rabbo D, Bertol BC, Carew M, Lukhele S, Snell LM, Xu W, Boukhaled GM, Elsaesser H, Halaby MJ, Hirano N, McGaha TL, Brooks DG

Cell reports2023

DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113047 PMID: 37651234

Identification of antigenic epitopes recognized by tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in high grade serous ovarian cancer by multi-omics profiling of the auto-antigen repertoire.

Millar DG, Yang SYC, Sayad A, Zhao Q, Nguyen LT, Warner K, Sangster AG, Nakatsugawa M, Murata K, Wang BX, Shaw P, Clarke B, Bernardini MQ, Pugh T, Thibault P, Hirano N, Perreault C, Ohashi PS

Cancer immunology, immunotherapy : CII2023

DOI: 10.1007/s00262-023-03413-7 PMID: 36943460

Modification of the HLA-A*24:02 Peptide Binding Pocket Enhances Cognate Peptide-Binding Capacity and Antigen-Specific T Cell Activation.

Murata K, Ly D, Saijo H, Matsunaga Y, Sugata K, Ihara F, Oryoji D, Ohashi Y, Saso K, Wang CH, Zheng EYF, Burt BD, Butler MO, Hirano N

Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950)2022Senior author

DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2200305 PMID: 36165170

Pre-encoded responsiveness to type I interferon in the peripheral immune system defines outcome of PD1 blockade therapy.

Boukhaled GM, Gadalla R, Elsaesser HJ, Abd-Rabbo D, Quevedo R, Yang SYC, Guo M, Wang BX, Noamani B, Gray D, Lau SCM, Taylor K, Aung K, Spreafico A, Hansen AR, Saibil SD, Hirano N, Guidos C, Pugh TJ, McGaha TL, Ohashi PS, Sacher AG, Butler MO, Brooks DG

Nature immunology2022

DOI: 10.1038/s41590-022-01262-7 PMID: 35835962

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Naoto Hirano

Research

Latest papers

Latest funding

Identification of broadly tumour-reactive &#x3b3;&#x3b4; TCRs from multiple myeloma.

CAR T Cells Targeting an Intracellular Leukemia Antigen Promiscuously Presented by Diverse HLA-II Alleles.

CD28-driven ex vivo generation of stem-like memory CD8+ T cells bypassing CD3/TCR signaling.

Delineation and monitoring of the T cell repertoire of adoptive cell transfer product during the treatment of advanced melanoma.

Ex&#xa0;vivo activation of the GCN2 pathway metabolically reprograms T&#xa0;cells, leading to enhanced adoptive cell therapy.

Tumor reactive &#x3b3;&#x3b4; T cells contribute to a complete response to PD-1 blockade in a Merkel cell carcinoma patient.

Molecular, metabolic, and functional CD4 T&#xa0;cell paralysis in the lymph node impedes tumor control.

Identification of antigenic epitopes recognized by tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in high grade serous ovarian cancer by multi-omics profiling of the auto-antigen repertoire.

Modification of the HLA-A*24:02 Peptide Binding Pocket Enhances Cognate Peptide-Binding Capacity and Antigen-Specific T Cell Activation.

Pre-encoded responsiveness to type I interferon in the peripheral immune system defines outcome of PD1 blockade therapy.

Frequent collaborators

Anna Spreafico

Michael Reedijk

Alexandra Easson

Kazuhiro Yasufuku

Thomas Waddell

Tianru Jin

Suzanne Trudel

Tracy McGaha

Marcus Butler

Arleigh McCurdy

Jan Delabie

Jean-Philippe Julien

Lisa Wang

Trevor Pugh

Cynthia Guidos

Nader Khalidi

Thomas Kislinger

Minna Woo

Marcelo Cypel

Donna Reece

Rodger Tiedemann

Identification of broadly tumour-reactive γδ TCRs from multiple myeloma.

Ex vivo activation of the GCN2 pathway metabolically reprograms T cells, leading to enhanced adoptive cell therapy.

Tumor reactive γδ T cells contribute to a complete response to PD-1 blockade in a Merkel cell carcinoma patient.

Molecular, metabolic, and functional CD4 T cell paralysis in the lymph node impedes tumor control.