Going Big Against Cancer
How Chrystal Paulos is tuning bold T cells science into hope for patients.
Chrystal Paulos, Ph.D., co-leader of the Cancer Immunology Program at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming a cancer researcher.
When she began her doctorate training in chemistry at Purdue University, her ambitions were far from the clinic. Inspired by her grandmother, Dr. Paulos initially envisioned a career designing perfumes.
“As a kid, I always loved the way my grandmother smelled,” Dr. Paulos said. “She would show me all of her perfume bottles. I liked chemistry and was fascinated by molecules. So, I decided to get a Ph.D. in Chemistry, and specifically, I wanted to make new perfumes.”
But then life intervened.
While Dr. Paulos was training in a small molecule lab, her grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer. That moment reshaped not only her career trajectory, but her sense of purpose.
“I was in a lab that made small molecules not just for perfumes, but also small molecules that targeted cancer,” Dr. Paulos said. “So, I really shifted my gears towards that and decided that was much more exciting.”
For her, cancer is not an abstract scientific problem. It is deeply personal. That reality continues to drive her work and her determination to rethink how cancer is treated.
“Cancer is not just the textbook definition – it’s our families, our friends, and how it shapes us,” Dr. Paulos said. “My goal is really simple and heartfelt: to give people more time with the people that they love. And that’s why I’ve dedicated my career to designing smarter, better, more potent T cells that can stand against these harsh, nasty cancers.”
An All-Star: From the Lab to Bedside
Today, Dr. Paulos is the co-leader of the Cancer Immunology Program at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, where her research focuses on cutting-edge immunology with a clear goal: helping patients with advanced melanoma and other hard-to-treat solid tumors.
At the center of her work are T cells, immune cells that can be trained to recognize and destroy cancer. For decades, much of the field has focused on cytotoxic CD8+ T cells (CTLs), which can be highly effective at killing tumor cells but often lack durability and can sometimes be “one-hit wonders,” as Dr. Paulos noted.
Dr. Paulos and her team took a different approach.
They discovered a unique population of Helper T-cell (CD4) with long-lived, regenerative properties. Unlike CD8 T cells that primarily act as direct killers, these CD4 T cells orchestrate the immune response by activating and sustaining other immune cells, allowing the body to mount a more durable fight against cancer.
When paired with a co-stimulatory molecule called ICOS, these T helper cells become incredibly potent. They acquire “stem-like” qualities that allow them to persist, adapt, and help prevent cancer from returning.
This bold scientific vision was first supported in 2021 by the V Foundation, laying out the groundwork for this incredible work. In 2025, Dr. Paulos was awarded a V Foundation All-Star grant, a $1 million investment over five years reserved for investigators who showed exceptional progress and promise from prior funding as a V Foundation grantee.
“I have a lot of philanthropy along with this important V Foundation grant that’s now inspiring a clinical trial to happen here at Emory so we can treat patients that have relapsed from checkpoint blockade therapy,” Dr. Paulos said. “So, next year that therapy is going to be translated and our patients will be treated with it. It’s a really exciting time.”
Funding Bold, Innovative Research
The V Foundation for Cancer Research has funded over $458 million in game-changing cancer research grants, investing in the best of the best scientists, like Dr. Paulos.
Dr. Paulos credits the V Foundation enabling ideas that might otherwise be considered too risky to pursue.
“A V Foundation grant really gives you something rare in science,” Dr. Paulos said. “It gives you the freedom to be quite bold. Most funding pushes towards safe and incremental steps… The V Foundation, in my opinion, says, ‘Go big, trying something transformative and to not be afraid to aim high.’”
That willingness to fund bold science brings the vision of Victory Over Cancer® closer to reality.
“Victory isn’t really abstract at all,” Dr. Paulos said. “Really, victory is time, the return of possibilities and hope really made real again. That’s what we’re all fighting for, in my opinion. One patient, one discovery, and one moment in time.”
The V Foundation continues to make victory possible for families faced with cancer. 100% of direct donations go directly to cancer researchers, like Dr. Paulos. An endowment covers administrative expenses, so all donors can know their gifts are going directly into the lab.
“To every donor supporting the V Foundation, thank you,” Dr. Paulos said. “You’re not just funding science, you’re investing in hope, courage, and possibility… You turn big ideas into real therapies for real people.”
