Cancer Immunology

Research Interests: Tissue function emerges from the synergy between resident cells and the extracellular matrix, which together provide key mechanical infrastructure and a reservoir of biological cues. With age, tissues experience functional decline, driven in part by changes in both the cells and the surrounding matrix. To understand what it means to age, and how we might prevent or even reverse aspects of the aging process, the Gilchrist Lab uses biomaterials and stem cells to engineer artificial tissues. These model systems allow us to uncover the biological mechanisms that guide cells toward ‘young’ or ‘aged’ states. Using mechanical and polymer modeling, we characterize the dynamic alterations to biological tissues and gels across a large range of stress, strain, and lifespans. Informed by these measurements, we design synthetic and naturally derived polymers, combine them with human induced pluripotent stem cells, and grow organoids, which are small, self-assembled constructs that recapitulate key functional, structural, and cellular features of native tissue. We are especially interested in aging of the blood and immune system, which undergo marked functional decline with age. During normal development, the bone marrow, which regulates the blood and immune stem cells, provides essential mechanical cues that regulate cellular activity. With age, however, the mechanics of the bone marrow are dramatically altered. By leveraging our in vitro tissue platforms, we study how these age-related changes in the bone marrow contribute to the decline of the blood and immune system. Through this work, we aim to advance the fields of stem cells, aging, and rejuvenation

My research interests are primarily in adoptive T-cell therapy (ACT) for solid tumors. While ACT has demonstrated impressive results in hematologic malignancies, success has been limited in solid tumors. I am investigating ways to improve ACT through novel methods of generating genetically-modified cells and through modulating the tumor immune microenvironment.

Research Interests: Research in the Zamora Lab focuses on cancer immunology, with an emphasis on developing strategies to modulate the immune system for more precise and effective elimination of cancer cells. We employ cellular engineering techniques to enhance immune cell specificity while minimizing off-target toxicities. Our work integrates advanced single-cell technologies to profile the phenotypic, functional, and receptor repertoires of neoantigen-specific T cells.

Research Interests: My research aims to understand the interaction between host factors, tissue resident immune cells, and metastasis formation in solid tumors of the GI tract. Specifically, our current work focuses on how obesity may alter liver resident immune cells and augment the metastatic niche in pancreatic cancer. We utilize multiple models and tissues to answer these questions, including cell lines, mouse models, and surgical specimens from patients undergoing surgery.

Research Interests: Research Interests: Our research group is dedicated to the engineering of immune cells using biocompatible nanomaterials. One of our primary objectives is to amplify the efficacy of current cancer immunotherapies by enabling real-time, non-invasive, and continuous tracking of these engineered immune cells in vivo. Within the framework of cell-based immunotherapy, we strive to provide comprehensive insights into the location and functionality of immune cells in clinically relevant settings.

Research Interests: Cancer immune microenvironment and immunotherapy.

Research Interests: We are interested in understanding how tumor cells adapt to therapy. We largely study drug tolerant persistence, which is thought to describe a state of transient insensitivity which provides a repository of surviving tumor cells which may develop resistance and drive progression. These cells are thought to co-opt the tumor microenvironment to survive, and one area of interest is investigating how drug tolerant persistent cells evade immunosurveillance.

Research Interests: The Tan Lab engineers synthetic cells and vesicles for broad biomedical applications, including antibacterial therapy, anticancer treatment, and regenerative medicine. We integrate synthetic genes, proteins, and materials to create new kinds of synthetic cells and vesicles with superior functions to their natural counterparts.

Research Interests: Comparative oncology, canine cancer immunology, metastasis, sarcoma, melanoma.

Research Interests: The Tan Lab engineers synthetic cells and vesicles for broad biomedical applications, including antibacterial therapy, anticancer treatment, and regenerative medicine. We integrate synthetic genes, proteins, and materials to create new kinds of synthetic cells and vesicles with superior functions to their natural counterparts.