Current Projects

• Chracterizing the role of CD4 T-cells in tumor regression upon oncogene inactivation 
  Submitted by Lowen Lee  (Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States) 2/23/2010
  Our laboratory investigates how oncogenes initiate and sustain tumorigenesis. We have developed model systems whereby we can conditionally activate oncogenes in specific tissues of transgenic mice. One of the projects in the lab studies the contribution of the immune system to tumor regression that occurs upon the inactivation of the c-MYC oncogene in a MYC induced model of lymphoma. We have recently uncovered evidence suggesting that tumors are infiltrated by macrophages during regression and our hypothesis is that macrophages play a role in mediating sustained tumro regression upon MYC inactivation. To test this hypothesis, we need to knock out macrophages in the tumor microenvironment using clodronate liposomes.
  More: http://med.stanford.edu/labs/dean_felsher/



• Evaluating the role of macrophages in anti-tumor activity of antibodies 
  Submitted by Ilya Leskov  (MIT, Cambridge, United States) 2/23/2010
  IV administration of monoclonal antibodies has been shown to be an effective tool against leukemias and lymphomas. We would like to investigate the role of macrophages in the mechanism of action of such antibodies in a mouse model of leukemia.



• WAS-associated thrombocytopenia 
  Submitted by Herve Falet  (Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States) 2/23/2010
  Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome (WAS) is an X-linked hematopoietic disorder that is characterized by immunodeficiency, eczema and severe thrombocytopenia. WASp, the protein mutated or absent in WAS, constitutively associates with WIP in platelets. Using mice lacking WASp and/or WIP as models, we will investigate the mechanisms of the WAS-associated thrombocytopenia.



• Role of macrophage in antibody-mediated tumor rejection 
  Submitted by Pascale HUBERT  (Institut Curie, Paris, France) 2/23/2010
  Tumor-specific monoclonal antibodies are efficient at eradicating cancers, and some of them are now currently used in patient’s therapeutic schedules. However, the mechanism by which antibodies participate in the eradication of tumors remains unraveled. We wish to determine whether macrophages are involved in the inhibition of tumor growth in a mouse pre-clinical model of syngenic breast cancer upon treatment with a tumor-specific monoclonal antibody.



• Role of macrophages in releasing IL6 type cytokines in challenging conditions 
  Submitted by Praveen Gajawada  (Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim, Germany) 2/15/2010
  The aim of the project is to study the role of macrophages in releasing IL6 type cytokines, which are assumed to play a vital role in tissue repair after injury. Macrophages have been known to play a vital role in tissue repair after injury. Upon transmigration into the affected area the macrophages release many cytokines which help in remodelling of the tissue. This project aims at studying the role of IL6 type cytokines in tissue remodelling after injury in mice.



• Clodronate Alters the Pathology in the Sciatic Nerve From Mutant SOD1 Mice, an Animal Model of Inherited ALS. 
  Submitted by Osamu Kano  (Methodist Neurological Institute, Houston, Texas, United States) 12/2/2010
  We evaluated the early macrophage infiltration in the sciatic nerve of transgenic mice with an inherited form of ALS. To determine the role of phagocytosis, we plan to inject Clodronate and see the difference compared with non-injected mice.



• Effect of vaccination route on T cell response 
  Submitted by Darragh Duffy  (Inserm U945 UPMC, Paris, France) 11/2/2010
  Depending on the route of vaccination (intramuscular, intradermal, intranasal) the subsequent quality of the immune response can vary greatly. This is due to the different antigen presenting cells which take up the vaccine and transport it to the lymphoid tissue for presentation to T and B cells. We therefore wish to examine the exact role of macrophages in this intricate network for various vaccines (particulate antigen & viral vectors).



• Kupffer cells and hepatocarcinogenesis 
  Submitted by Anatolij Horuzsko  (Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia, United States) 11/2/2010
  Role of Kupffer cells in liver disease models



• Characterization of Antigen-Presenting Cells in Zebrafish 
  Submitted by valerie wittamer  (University of California San Diego, La Jolla, United States) 11/2/2010
  We are studying the roles of macrophages and dendritic cells in zebrafish immunity



• Role of marginal zone in antigen uptake 
  Submitted by Jonathan Clingan  (UCSF, San Francisco, CA, United States) 10/2/2010
  We are studying the role of marginal zone cells for antigen uptake in LCMV.