David Munn, MD
Director of the Georgia Cancer Center Augusta University
- Augusta GA
Dr. David Munn's research is focused on activating the body’s own immune system to fight cancer.
Multimedia
Biography
Dr. Munn teaches medical school classes in the histology of blood and lymphoid tissues. He participates in the professional education (conferences, teaching and supervision) of medical students, graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty in his area of tumor immunology research.
Dr. Munn's research focuses on activating the immune system of children with cancer, so that they can mount an immune attack against the tumor. He has an active research laboratory in pre-clinical drug discovery, as well as implementing cutting-edge techniques for monitoring the immune response of children on immunotherapy clinical trials. He participates as a laboratory co-investigator on multiple clinical trials of new drugs and treatments that were invented in his laboratory.
Basic-science studies of the role of the indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) pathway in Tregs, including the regulation of the suppressor phenotype vs. destabilization and reprogramming during inflammation. Molecular mechanisms of inflammation-induced differentiation of immunogenic dendritic cells (DCs), and the suppression of these immunogenic DCs by IDO-activated Tregs. The translational goal of these studies is to develop orally bioavailable small-molecule drugs that induce differentiation of immunogenic DCs in tumors.
Basic and pre-clinical studies of immune response to dying tumor cells after chemotherapy; and synergy between conventional chemotherapy and novel forms of immunotherapy targeting Tregs and DCs.
Design and immune-monitoring of Phase I and Phase II clinical trials of IDO-inhibitor drugs in combination with chemotherapy, radiation, BTK-inhibitor drugs and checkpoint inhibitors. These include first-in-children pediatric trials, in conjunction with the Pediatric Immunotherapy Service and Dr. Theodore Johnson.
Areas of Expertise
Accomplishments
CureSearch Catapult Award
2023-2025
Education
Medical College of Georgia
M.D.
Medicine
1984
Mercer University
B.A.
Philosophy
1978
Media Appearances
David Munn, MD, appointed director of the Georgia Cancer Center
Augusta University News online
2026-05-26
David Munn, MD, a physician‑scientist whose discoveries fundamentally reshaped the understanding of immune regulation in cancer, has been appointed director of the Georgia Cancer Center at the Medical College of Georgia. He has served as interim director since March, during which time he has worked to streamline clinical trials and recruit new basic and translational science researchers.
AU scientists advance understanding of Nobel-winning immunology research
Augusta University News online
2025-10-29
At Augusta University, David Munn, MD, co-director of the Pediatric Immunotherapy Program of the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, made seminal discoveries showing that Tregs are not always stable.
Hyundai invests $400,000 in pediatric cancer research at Augusta University
Augusta University News online
2025-08-27
“We really rely on people like Hyundai who understand the need and give hope to these kids,” said Munn, a professor of pediatric oncology for the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University and co-director of the Pediatric Immunotherapy Program, which has developed several first-in-the-nation clinical trials for patients at Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia.
Local expert gets $400K grant to battle children’s cancer
WRDW tv
2025-08-18
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - On Wednesday, Hyundai Hope on Wheels presented Dr. David Munn with a Scholar Hope Grant for $400,000 at Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia.
MCG faculty researchers named Regents’ Entrepreneurs for advancing health care
Augusta University News online
2023-04-28
“The institution has been supportive of my lab and me for 20 years in developing this technology and moving it into the clinic, and to be recognized for this work is a great honor,” said Munn.
Therapy for child brain tumors enters new phase
Augusta Chronicle online
2019-10-20
Scott was at Children's Hospital of Georgia at Augusta University last week to give Dr. Ted Johnson a check from Gracie's Hope, a charity she founded for her late daughter, to support him and Dr. David Munn as they take the therapy Gracie received into a new phase of clinical trial for children with tumors who have otherwise grim outcomes.
Articles
ANGI-04. HOST INTERFERON SIGNALING MODULATES EPITHELIAL-TO-MESENCHYMAL TRANSITION IN GLIOBLASTOMA INVASION THROUGH BRAIN CD73
Neuro-Oncology2025
Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive malignant brain tumor that invades adjacent normal brain tissue. The underlying mechanisms driving GBM invasion remain poorly understood. Unlike other solid tumors, GBM is infiltrated by various normal brain cells, including neurons, oligodendrocytes, oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), microglia, and astrocytes. Recent studies suggest that brain cells infiltrating GBM may promote tumor growth and invasion. In this study, we observed that mouse GBM tumor GSC005 grown in immunodeficient (RAG1-KO, NSG) mice exhibited a more invasive phenotype compared to those in immunocompetent C57BL/6J mice. Immunofluorescence staining revealed the presence of vimentin+ and GFAP+ cells at the tumor-border interface, forming capsule-like structures around small tumor islands.
IMMU-38. Single-cell RNA sequencing of cerebrospinal fluid in CARv3-TEAM-E treated glioblastoma
Neuro-Oncology2025
Glioblastoma is a highly aggressive primary brain tumor in adults with limited treatment options. Although there has been continuing interest in employing the immune system to combat this disease, monoclonal antibody therapies, such as checkpoint modulating agents, have yet to demonstrate clinically transformative outcomes. Conversely, adoptive cell therapies including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapies have shown early indications of efficacy in select GBM patients. In a recent report, a first-in-human trial of CARv3-TEAM-E T cells engineered to target the epidermal growth factor receptor variant III tumor-specific antigen (EGFRvIII) as well as wild-type EGFR through secretion of a T-cell-engaging antibody molecule (TEAM) demonstrated preliminary evidence of CAR activity.
Lymph node macrophages drive immune tolerance and resistance to cancer therapy by induction of the immune-regulatory cytokine IL-33
Cancer Cell2025
Apoptotic cells are immunosuppressive, creating a barrier in cancer treatment. Thus, we investigated immune responses to dying tumor cells after therapy in the tumor draining lymph node (TDLN). A key population responsible for clearing tumor material in the TDLN was medullary sinus macrophages (MSMs). Tumor debris phagocytosis by MSMs induces the cytokine IL-33, and blocking the IL-33 receptor (ST2) or deletion of Il33 in MSMs enhances therapy responses. Mechanistically, IL-33 activates T regulatory cells in TDLNs that migrate to the tumor to suppress CD8+ T cells. Therapeutically combining ST2 blockade, targeted kinase inhibitors, and anti-PD-1 immunotherapy increases CD8+ T cell activity promoting tumor regression.
β-blocker suppresses both tumoral sympathetic neurons and perivascular macrophages during oncolytic herpes virotherapy
Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer2025
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) plays a key role in regulating tumor development and therapy resistance in various solid tumors. Within the ANS, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is typically associated with protumor effects. However, whether the SNS influences the antitumor efficacy of intratumoral injections of oncolytic herpes simplex virus (oHSV) in solid tumors remains unknown. Methods In this study, we examined SNS innervation and its interaction with immune cell infiltration in both human and murine triple-negative breast cancer models during intratumoral oHSV injections and SNS blockade on oHSV’s antitumor activity. Results Intratumor oHSV injection promotes SNS innervation accompanied by CD45+cell infiltration in both the human MDA-MB-468 orthotopic model and the murine 4T1 mammary tumor model.
Blocking feedback immunosuppression of antigen presentation in brain tumor during oncolytic virotherapy with ohsv-mshpkr
Molecular Cancer Therapeutics2025
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most frequent malignant brain tumor. We recently discovered that oncolytic herpes simplex virus engineered to disable tumor-intrinsic protein kinase R (PKR) signaling (oHSV-shPKR) could increase oHSV oncolysis and antitumor immune response. However, in this study, we show that disabling tumor-intrinsic PKR signaling can also induce the activation of the indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) signaling pathway. Both GBM tumor progression and oHSV intratumoral therapy increased infiltration of IDO+CD11c+ dendritic cells (DC) into the tumor. The coculture of oHSV-infected human GBM neurospheres with monocyte-derived DCs (MoDC) dramatically increased IDO signaling activation in MoDCs through type-I IFN signaling. Addition of IDO inhibitor (indoximod) in the coculture significantly increased MoDC activation and reduced the consumption of tryptophan.
