Bio
Dr. Lekha Mikkilineni is a board-certified medical oncologist. She is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Blood & Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy.
Dr. Mikkilineni has extensive experience treating blood and bone marrow cancers. She currently provides care through the Bone Marrow Transplant & Cellular Therapy Program at Stanford Health Care. Her clinical focus is multiple myeloma, plasma-cell leukemia, Extramedullary myeloma, high-risk myeloma, CAR T cell therapy, bispecific therapy, amyloidosis, POEMS syndrome, and Waldenstrom’s macroglobunemia.
Dr. Mikkilineni’s research centers on exploring novel CAR T-cell therapies to treat multiple myeloma and to define mechanisms of resistance to immunotherapy. She is particularly focused on understanding how to improve therapies for multiple myeloma patients who have extramedullary disease or high-risk features. Prior to coming to Stanford, she ran phase 1 CAR T-cell trials for multiple myeloma targeting BCMA and SLAMF7 at the National Cancer Institute.
Dr. Mikkilineni received the Conquer Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology for her research focusing on SLAMF7 as a potential target for multiple myeloma. She has received honors and awards for her work at the NCI. She has completed fellowships in hematology/oncology and immunotherapy at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute/National Cancer Institute. She finished her residency in internal medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. She holds a Master of Science in medical sciences from Boston University and a medical degree from Tulane University.
Dr. Mikkilineni has authored book chapters and published research in numerous high-impact academic journals. She has presented her findings through oral and poster presentations at national and international conferences.