College of Medicine
Ligon Lab
Led by John Ligon · Pediatrics
What we study
The Ligon Lab studies pediatric cancer immunotherapy, focusing on harnessing the immune system to treat childhood cancers. The team works on clinical trials and translational research to develop new treatments.
What working here is like
- Clinical
- Wet lab
- Human participants
- Mice
- Cells in a dish
- No coding
- Projects
- 6
- Papers
- 5
Current projects
Using RNA Lipid Nanoparticles against Recurrent Medulloblastoma
Developing a new treatment using RNA lipid nanoparticles to target medulloblastoma.
CCA fertility outcomes following CAR T-cell infusion
Studying fertility impacts after CAR T-cell therapy in pediatric cancer patients.
Show 4 more projectsShow fewer
Enhancing CD70 CAR T cell Homing to Acute Myeloid Leukemic Sites
Improving CAR T-cell targeting to leukemia sites using CD70 signaling.
TCR-alpha/beta+ and CD19+ depleted KIR/KIR ligand-mismatched Haploidentical Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant and Zoledronate…
Testing a modified stem cell transplant approach for high-risk pediatric solid tumors.
RNA PRIME – RNA lipid particles targeting Pediatric Recurrent Intracranial Malignancies and other systemic solid tumors
Using RNA lipid particles to treat recurrent pediatric brain tumors and other cancers.
Establishing a Fusion‑Based Ewing Sarcoma Mouse Cell Line
The lab is creating a mouse cell line that carries the EWS‑FLI1 gene fusion common in Ewing sarcoma by inserting the fusion into an osteosarcoma line, sorting for GFP‑positive cells, and injecting them into mice. They aim to get tumors that look like human Ewing sarcoma to test immunotherapy.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 451
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
Recent papers, explained
- 8R-70CAR T-Cells for Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Harnessing Cytokine Gradients for More Effective Cellular Therapy
2026 · Transplantation and Cellular Therapy
- Paediatric therapeutic development workshop on osteosarcoma
2026 · British Journal of Cancer
Reviews current treatments for osteosarcoma in children and highlights unmet needs for better outcomes.
Show 3 more papersShow fewer
- Fertility Outcomes Following CAR T-cell Therapy: Results from a Patient-Facing Survey
2026 · Transplantation and Cellular Therapy
- Systemic mRNA vaccines elicit rapid immune activation in canine brain tumors
2025 · Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer
Tests whether mRNA vaccines can improve survival in dogs with brain tumors.
- TARGETING PRIMARY CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM B CELL LYMPHOMA IgH CLONOTYPES USING NOVEL RNA-NPs
2025 · Leukemia Research
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
John Ligon hasn't set up this page yet. You can also look them up in the UF directory (search “John Ligon”).