Research Interests:
Our laboratory studies how the natural killer cells of the innate immune system recognize developing tumor cells. We focus on ligands for the immunoreceptor NKG2D. These NKG2D ligands are highly expressed on tumors, virally infected cells, and in certain autoimmune diseased tissues. We have shown that the NKG2D ligand H60 is regulated by the interferons and may function in this aspect to modulate the immune response. We are actively pursuing the regulation of NKG2D ligands during carcinogenesis.
A related interest is in how T-regulatory cells inhibit the immune response to tumors. We have shown that these cells accumulate in both progressively growing and rejecting tumors. We plan to identify the mechanisms by which T-regulatory cells become activated in certain tumors for clinical benefit.
Keywords: Tumor immunology, immunosurveillance, immunoediting, natural killer cell, innate immunity, NKG2D, H60, FOXP3, T-regulatory cells, immunotherapy
Track(s):
Molecular Pathology
Microbiology/Immunology
BMS Focus Areas:
Cancer Biology
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