The Lynch Lab’s research focuses on microbial communities associated with chronic inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts. Using clinical samples to inform studies using murine models, they examine relationships bettheyen microbial community composition and function in an effort to better understand microbial-host interplay in the context of chronic inflammatory disease.

The Ma Lab studies the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying inflammation and cancer. They have focused upon a subset of ubiquitin regulating proteins that play dominant roles in prevent inflammation and cancer. A20 and several biochemically related binding partners are potent regulators of ubiquitination and disease. These proteins exert several biochemical functions to (1) prevent inflammatory diseases and cancer in human patients; (2) prevent inflammation and cancer in mice; (3) restrict NFB signaling and immune cell activation; (4) restrict inflammasome activation; (5) prevent multiple forms of cell death; and (6) preserve tissue integrity. Patients born with haploinsufficient A20 genes develop early onset inflammatory diseases. Ongoing studies utilize genetic engineering, cell signaling, and mass spectrometry techniques to unravel the mechanisms by which A20 and related proteins regulate ubiquitin dependent signals and tissue homeostasis. They have recently generated a series of A20 knock-in mice to dissect the biochemical mechanisms by which A20 performs these critical functions. Translational research in the laboratory seeks to align insights from biochemical and mouse based biology with the biology of human peripheral blood cells and intestinal tissues. These efforts should improve their understanding of human disease subtypes and ultimately develop novel approaches of treating inflammatory and malignant diseases.

The MacKenzie Lab works on understanding maternal-fetal immunology with the goal of treating patients with birth defects using in utero stem cell transplantation. They also study the immune basis of pregnancy complications that arise due to a breakdown in maternal-fetal tolerance, such as preterm labor. They work on mouse models as theyll as patient samples and have a robust program for biobanking of human samples that can be useful to the group. The lab has collaborated with many members of the Immunology community and look forward to strengthening these collaborations.

The Maker Lab has focused the efforts of its research career on expanding the role of immunotherapy for gastrointestinal tumors and they have aligned their clinical practice to coincide with these research interests. Their research program has identified an immunostimulatory cytokine capable of activating and supporting the proliferation of antigen-specific T-cells to incite an anti-tumor immune response in colorectal liver metastases. This strategy is currently being investigated in combination with oncolytic viruses and immune checkpoint blockade to elicit complete tumor responses. Their lab also investigates novel drug combinations that stimulate immunogenic cell death and generate anti-tumor immune responses to treat GI tumor liver metastases. As part of these studies, they have developed multiple unique orthotopic animal models in which to study solid organ metastases that has led to multiple collaborations.

The Marson Lab aims to understand the genetic circuits that control human immune cell function in health and disease. They have begun to identify how genetic risk variants for autoimmune diseases disrupt immune cell circuits, and how pathogenic circuits may be targeted with novel therapeutic. They have developed new tools for efficient CRISPR genome engineering in primary human T cells and now they are pursuing a comprehensive strategy to test how coding and non-coding genetic variation control essential programs in the human immune system. Genome engineered human T cells hold great potential for the next generation of cell-based therapies for cancer, autoimmunity and infectious diseases.

The Matloubian Lab's interests broadly lie in mechanisms of immune mediated diseases and approaches for a better understanding of the molecular bases of such processes. Our goal is to provide therapeutic treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases through a better understanding of the involved pathways.

The McManus lab studies fundamental processes relating to the regulation of gene expression. We take high-throughput approaches, analyzing hundreds of thousands to millions of experiments at once, using unique and complex libraries coupled to deep sequencing. Our systems span from cell culture to in vivo models, focusing on a broad array of disease relevant tissues. From cancer to diabetes, we develop novel technologies to help us better understand how genes are regulated and how they function in cells. We aim to uncover the dark matter of the genome, to help unravel the beautiful genomic complexity of pathways and how genes interact in development and disease.

The Mellon Lab's resarch is focused on indentifying novel nuclear factors that regulate the transcription of the genes encoding some steroid synthesizing enzymes in the gonads and in the developing nervous system, and studies their mechanisms of action and regulation in normal and diseased gonadal and neuronal tissues. Her laboratory has also recently discovered that neurosteroids, steroids produced specifically in the brain, can directly influence nerve cell growth, development, neuroinflammation, and behavior. Working in conjunction with the Wolkowitz Lab, we are working to share data with other researchers examining the role of the immune system in cross-diagnostic pathology, and to add neuropsychiatric rating scales to other projects assessing immune function in diverse patients at UCSF.

The  Molofsky Lab’s main goal is to define the role of glia and their immune roles  in brain development. Our lab uses a combination of transcriptomic analysis  and mouse genetics to discover novel roles for glia in synapse remodeling in  the developing mouse brain. We are particularly interested in the  communication astrocytes and microglia, two important cell types that respond  to stress and immune activation. We recently identified the astrocyte-encoded  cytokine Interleukin-33 as a key regulator of microglial synapse engulfment  and demonstrated that it is required for normal synapse numbers and circuit  function. Our lab continues to investigate brain-immune cross talk in synapse  homeostasis during development, after injury, and in the context of brain plasticity  and learning. These studies will form the basis for a new understanding of  how the immune system impacts neurodevelopmental diseases including autism, epilepsy, and schizophrenia.

The Molofsky Lab's goals are to understand the function and regulation of tissue resident lymphocytes in settings of tissue development, remodeling, infection, and pathology while providing a strong and supportive environment for their research trainees. By understanding the physiologic roles of tissue-resident immune cells and their regulation, they hope to define novel pathways that can be targeted in diverse human disease, including obesity/type 2 diabetes, allergic pathologies (asthma, allergy, atopic dermatitis), and neuropsychiatric disease. They are focused on type-2 immune-associated lymphocytes, including group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) and subsets of regulatory T (Treg) cells, and the ‘niche’ signals involved in their regulation.  These recently appreciated tissue resident cells are early organizers of tissue remodeling and first responders during tissue damage and infection, positioning them as key mediators of tissue health and disease.

The Moslehi Lab is a basic and translational research laboratory focused on signal transduction in the myocardium and vasculature. Our clinical and research interests fall under the burgeoning field of cardio-oncology. In the past our group initially defined new clinical syndromes of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-associated myocarditis and other ICI-associated cardiovascular toxicities, including pericarditis and vasculitis. Our interest in "cardio-immunology" has recently expanded to other inflammatory cardiomyopathies, including giant cell myocarditis, acute cellular rejection (ACR) following cardiac transplantation, and other forms of myocarditis.

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.