The Akhurst Lab investigates TGF������ signaling, which is important in cancer, vascular, and stem cell biology, as well as tumor drug-resistance and immunotherapy. We study how TGF������ regulates these processes in vivo, and how genetic variation affects TGF������ rel

The Blelloch Lab studies the exosome directed modulation of the anti tumor immune response.

The Raffai Lab investigates the biology of atherosclerosis. Through our studies, we strive to develop a more profound understanding of the immune system's participation in vascular wall inflammation and atherosclerosis. Our long-term goal is to develop approaches to control the immune systems participation in atherosclerosis initiation and progression. Furthermore, we seek to harness anti������ inflammatory and tissue-remodeling properties of the immune system to promote atheroma stabilization and its regression as new treatments for cardiov

The Locksley Lab addresses the immune cells and tissue responses that occur during allergic, or type 2, immunity. This includes the processes by which na������ve helper T cells differentiate to become allergy-supporting Th2 cells, but also the interactions of these cells with eosinophils, basophils, mast cells and alternatively activated macrophages that mediate activities in peripheral tissues. We increasingly focus on innate immunity, particularly since the discovery of Group 2 innate lymphoid cells, or ILC2s, which are prominently involved in allergy. Importantly, the discovery of ILC2s initiated efforts to uncover the ���������ground state��������� of allergy by investigating homeostatic pathways involving these cells that might provide insights regarding

Kamber Lab's research centers on understanding how macrophages detect and eliminate unwanted cells in cancer and other aging-related diseases. Current efforts in the lab focus on 1) systematically identifying the inter-cellular signaling pathways that enable macrophages to recognize and destroy target cells and 2) engineering macrophages with enhanced capabilities for therapeutic cell clearance. To advance these studies, we combine powerful genetic screening approaches to discover molecules that regulate macrophage function with biochemical, cell biological, and in vivo experiments to understand how these components work at a mechanistic level. Our overarching goal is to uncover new biological insights that enable next-generation immunotherapies for currently untreatable diseases. Our goal to understand and harness the immune system with genome engineering technologies in order to treat diseases such as cancer.�

The Andino Lab works on RNA virus pathogenesis and vaccine development.

The Nayak Lab studies human gut microbiota and its role in the treatment of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. Specifically, we are interested in the reciprocal interactions between human gut microbes and the drugs used to treat autoimmune disease. Drugs commonly used to modulate the immune system in rheumatology have off target effects on microbes despite the fact that they were originally developed to target host cells. These off-target effects on microbes may have downstream effects on the host immune system, since it now well-established that microbiota can influence host immunity. These microbes harbor microbial enzymes to metabolize these drugs, thereby altering pharmacokinetics and influencing the ability of the drug to modulate host immunity. Thus, we seek to uncover under-appreciated roles for the microbiome in the treatment of autoimmune disease.

The Rutishauser Lab's goal is to characterize the regulation of human CD8+ T cell differentiation in response to viral infections and vaccination across the lifespan. Our lab is focused on three complimentary areas of study: 1) exploring the CD8+ T cell-intrinsic and -extrinsic mechanisms that regulate HIV-specific CD8+ T cell dysfunction/exhaustion; 2) defining the transcriptional and epigenetic basis for the altered T cell receptor-driven differentiation of fetal na������ve CD8+ T cells; 3) applying systems immunology approaches to assess longitudinal human immune responses to infection and vaccination using

Dr. Raja is the Director of the UCSF Immunogenetics and Transplantation Laboratory (UCSF-ITL). The ITL laboratory is a core HLA typing lab for Immune Tolerance Network, a research cooperative focused on the development of therapeutic approached for asthma and allergy, autoimmune diseases, type 1 diabetes and solid organ transplantation that lead to immune tolerance. Our current research centers on three themes: 1) to understand the basis of alloimmuneresponse in clinical transplantation to identify acceptable mismatches and tolerable donor-specific HLA antibodies, which will help designing functional histocompatibility matching for better transplant outcomes; 2) to understand the functional polymorphism of immunity related genes (HLA, KIR, KLR, FCGR) in human populations and impact on infections, tumor transformation, autoimmune diseases, pregnancy success and allogeneic transplantation; 3) to understand the complex relationship between polymorphic Natural Killer cell receptors (KIR receptors) and HLA class I ligands and the influence on human disease and transplant outcomes.

The Woodruff Lab's������research comprises both������clinical and translational research into a range of lung diseases including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and granulomatous lung diseases (e.g. sarcoidosis and hypersensitivity pneumonitis). These studies fall into three specific categories: 1) the identification of distinct molecular sub-phenotypes of these diseases;������2) the elucidation of disease-relevant mechanisms of airway inflammation and remodeling in the lung;��

The Tang Lab investigates mechanisms of immunoregulation and incorporates concepts learned in novel therapies for taming immune responses in autoimmune diseases and organ transplantation.

Dr. Dumesic studies mammalian energy metabolism, with a particular interest in how gene regulation gives rise to specialized cellular metabolic programs important for the proper use of chemical energy--whether storage (as in fat), utilization for physical work (as in muscle), or dissipation for heat production (as in thermogenic fat). He has a particular interest in chronic metabolic diseases marked by improper energy shepherding, such as obesity, diabetes, and cachexia. His recent work on obesity found that the dominant regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative metabolism in fat cells (the transcriptional coactivator PGC1a) plays an unexpected role in suppressing cytoplasmic mtDNA accumulation and resulting cGAS-STING activation. This connection between oxidative metabolism and innate immune signaling helps explain why obesity-associated impairment of adipocyte oxidative metabolism leads to activation of a pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic program by which adipocytes communicate to immune cells in adipose tissue. His ongoing work would greatly benefit from interactions with experts in innate immune signaling and experts in analysis of immune cell populations in obesity. As a member of the community, Dr. Dumesic contributes expertise relevant to immunometabolism, including cellular metabolic analysis and expertise in transcriptional regulators of metabolism that contribute to immune cell differentiation and function.

The Hunt Lab focuses on the causes and consequences of persistent immune activation during treated HIV infection, including its contribution to age-related morbidity and HIV persistence. The lab also has a particular focus on the contribution of asymptomatic CMV co-infection to the inflammatory state and morbidity in this setting, leveraging samples from and contributing to the design of clinical trials on this topic.