Peter Fecci

Fecci received his Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University, followed by a Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy from Duke University. He also completed a Neurosurgical residency at Massachusetts General Hospital.^[1]

Fecci worked at Duke University as an associate professor of Neurosurgery, Immunology, Pathology,^[1] Biomedical Engineering, and Integrative Immunobiology.^[2] At the same institution, he held the role of associate deputy director of the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center^[3] and holds principal investigator's designation.^[4] He also co-directed the Duke Center for Brain and Spine Metastasis,^[3] and holds the appointments of professor of Neurosurgery and Pathology there.^[2] Additionally, in July 2025, he became chair of the Neurosurgery department at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.^[5]

In a collaborative research, Fecci conducted an immunocompetent study with an emphasis on lung adenocarcinoma and observed that TIM-3 expression significantly contributed to tumor relapse after anti-PD-1 treatment.^[6] He also demonstrated that the activated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway promoted immune escape by increasing the levels of PD-1 and PD-L1.^[7] Additionally, he examined the presence of STK11/LKB1 in KRas-mutated tumors, determining that it lowers PD-L1 levels, reduces T-cell infiltration, and increases T-cell exhaustion markers.^[8]

Fecci highlighted that both CD4+ T cells^[9] and Th cells are reduced in murine glioma models; however, Tregs account for a disproportionately large portion within the CD4 population.^[10] He emphasized that dexamethasone reduces T cell proliferation and increases cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) on T cell surfaces.^[11] In a group study, he identified that glioblastoma induced T cell dysfunction^[12] and categorized it into exhaustion, senescence, anergy, tolerance,^[13] and ignorance.^[14]

• 2013 – Synaptive Preuss Award, American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS)^[15]
• 2015 – Sontag Distinguished Scientist Award, Sontag Foundation^[1]
• 2016 – Prince Mahidol Youth Mentor Award, Prince Mahidol Award Foundation^[16]

• Fecci, P. E.; Mitchell, D. A.; Whitesides, J. F.; Xie, W.; Friedman, A. H.; Archer, G. E.; et al. (2006). "Increased regulatory T‑cell fraction amidst a diminished CD4 compartment explains cellular immune defects in patients with malignant glioma". Cancer Research. 66 (6): 3294–3302. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-05-3773. PMID 16540683.
• Akbay, E. A.; Koyama, S.; Carretero, J.; Altabef, A.; Tchaicha, J. H.; Christensen, C. L.; Wong, K. K.; et al. (2013). "Activation of the PD‑1 pathway contributes to immune escape in EGFR‑driven lung tumors". Cancer Discovery. 3 (12): 1355–1363. doi:10.1158/2159-8290.CD-13-0310. PMC 3864135. PMID 24078774.
• Koyama, S.; Akbay, E. A.; Li, Y. Y.; Herter‑Sprie, G. S.; Buczkowski, K. A.; Richards, W. G.; Hammerman, P. S.; et al. (2016). "Adaptive resistance to therapeutic PD‑1 blockade is associated with upregulation of alternative immune checkpoints". Nature Communications. 7 10501. Bibcode:2016NatCo...710501K. doi:10.1038/ncomms10501. PMC 4757784. PMID 26883990.
• Koyama, S.; Akbay, E. A.; Li, Y. Y.; Aref, A. R.; Skoulidis, F.; Herter‑Sprie, G. S.; Wong, K. K.; et al. (2016). "STK11/LKB1 deficiency promotes neutrophil recruitment and proinflammatory cytokine production to suppress T‑cell activity in the lung tumor microenvironment". Cancer Research. 76 (5): 999–1008. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-15-1439. PMC 4775354. PMID 26833127.
• Sampson, J. H.; Gunn, M. D.; Fecci, P. E.; Ashley, D. M. (2020). "Brain immunology and immunotherapy in brain tumours". Nature Reviews Cancer. 20 (1): 12–25. doi:10.1038/s41568-019-0224-7. PMC 7327710. PMID 31806885.