Education

Degree	Institution	Major
BSc	McGill University	Physiology
MA	Columbia University	Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
MPhil	Columbia University	Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
PhD	Columbia University	Molecular Biology and Biochemistry

Post-Graduate Training

Training	Institution	Specialty
Postdoctoral	Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Oncology	Postdoctoral Fellow in the Laboratory of Dr. Drew Pardoll

Awards

Name of Award/Honor	Awarding Organization
Oncology Fellows Day Award	Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Postdoctoral Fellowship	American Cancer Society
American Foundation for Urologic Disease Scholar	Urology Care Foundation
Summer Student Fellowship	Medical Research Council of Canada

Name & Description	Category	Role	Type	Scope	Start Year	End Year
NIH ZRG1 F09-A (08) L Fellowship: Oncological Sciences	Other	Member	External	National	2012	2012
Search Committee for the Flow Cytometry Core Facility Director	Advisory Committee	Member	UConn Health	University	2011	2011
Education Council	Education Committee	Member	UConn Health	University	2011	2013
Search Committee for the MD/PhD Program Director	Advisory Committee	Member	UConn Health	University	2011	2011
Faculty Search Committee for Connecticut Children’s Medical Center	Advisory Committee	Member	UConn Health	University	2011	2011
NIH ZRG IMM-C 02 M and IMM-N (03) M	Other	Member	External	National	2011	2011
PhD admissions committee	Advisory Committee	Member	UConn Health	University	2011	2011
Grant Writing Workshop organized by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs	Workshop/Conference	Participant	UConn Health	University	2011
Search Committee for the Department of Immunology Chair	Advisory Committee	Member	UConn Health	University	2010	2011
Search Committee for the Associate Dean of the Graduate School	Advisory Committee	Member	UConn Health	University	2010	2010
Immunology Graduate Program	Advisory Committee	Director	UConn Health	University	2010	2013
PO1 “Autoimmunity” (ZAI1-PTM-1-M3)	Other	Member	External	National	2010	2010
PO1 “Regulatory T cells in Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases” (ZAI1-SV-I-M1)	Other	Member	External	National	2010	2010
“Director's Opportunity 5 Themes Immunology” (ZRG1 IMM-E (55) R), NIH	Other	Member	External	National	2010	2010
Immunology Panel for Prostate Cancer Research Program (PCRP), CDMRP	Advisory Committee	Ad Hoc Member	External	National	2010	2010
Site Visit Review Team of NCI Cancer and Inflammation Program, NIH	Advisory Committee	Member	External	National	2010	2010
Flow Cytometry Core Facility Advisory Committee	Advisory Committee	Member	UConn Health	University	2009
Viral Vector Core Facility Advisory Committee	Advisory Committee	Member	UConn Health	University	2007	2010
Immunology Graduate Program	Advisory Committee	Director	UConn Health	University	2007	2010
Graduate Program Committee	Advisory Committee	Member	UConn Health	University	2007	2013
Prostate Cancer Research Program Study Section, Department of Defense	Study Section	Ad Hoc Member	External	National	2007	2008
Italian Association for Cancer Research	Advisory Committee	Preferred Grant Reviewer	External	International	2007
ZRG1 TTT-G “Immunology of Tolerance” Study Section, NIH	Study Section	Ad Hoc Member	External	National	2006	2006
Special Emphasis Panel PO1 “T Cell Tolerance” (ZAI1-PA-I-M3), NIH	Study Section	Chair	External	National	2006	2006
Transplantation, Tolerance, and Tumor Immunology (TTT) Study Section, NIH	Study Section	Member	External	National	2006	2010
The Journal of Immunology	Editorial Board	Associate Editor	External	National	2006	2010
Health Center Research Advisory Committee	Advisory Committee	Member	UConn Health	University	2005
Transplantation, Tolerance and Tumor Immunology (TTT) Study Section, NIH	Study Section	Ad Hoc Member	External	National	2005	2005
PhD admissions committee	Advisory Committee	Member	UConn Health	University	2005	2006
Current Immunology Reviews	Editorial Board	Member	External	National	2004
Cancer Research UK	Study Section	Ad Hoc Grant Reviewer	External	International	2003	2003
Special Emphasis Allergy and Immunology Study Section, NIH	Study Section	Ad Hoc Grant Reviewer	External	National	2003	2003
Experimental Immunology Study Section, NIH	Study Section	Ad Hoc Grant Reviewer	External	National	2003	2004
Department of Veterans Affairs’ Medical Research Service	Study Section	Ad Hoc Grant Reviewer	External	National	2001	2002
Cancer Immunity	Editorial Board	Ad Hoc Journal Reviewer	External	National
Cancer Research	Editorial Board	Ad Hoc Journal Reviewer	External	National
Cell Stress & Chaperones	Editorial Board	Ad Hoc Journal Reviewer	External	National
Current Immunology Reviews	Editorial Board	Ad Hoc Journal Reviewer	External	National
Cytokine	Editorial Board	Ad Hoc Journal Reviewer	External	National
European Journal of Immunology	Editorial Board	Ad Hoc Journal Reviewer	External	International
Immunology	Editorial Board	Ad Hoc Journal Reviewer	External	National
Immunology Letters	Editorial Board	Ad Hoc Journal Reviewer	External	National
International Immunology	Editorial Board	Ad Hoc Journal Reviewer	External	International
Journal of Leukocyte Biology	Editorial Board	Ad Hoc Journal Reviewer	External	National
Medicinal Research Reviews	Editorial Board	Ad Hoc Journal Reviewer	External	National
PLoS ONE	Editorial Board	Ad Hoc Journal Reviewer	External	National
The Journal of Experimental Medicine	Editorial Board	Ad Hoc Journal Reviewer	External	National
The Journal of Immunology	Editorial Board	Ad Hoc Journal Reviewer	External	National
Health Center Research Advisory Committee (HCRAC)	Advisory Committee	member, and member of emergency grant subcommittee	UConn Health	University
Research Council	Advisory Committee	member	UConn Health	University
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)	Research Committee	member	UConn Health	University
Graduate Program Committee (GPC)	Education Committee	member	UConn Health	University
Flow Cytometry Core Advisory Committee	Advisory Committee	member	UConn Health	University
Biomedical Sciences Curriculum Committee	Education Committee	member	UConn Health	University

Research InterestsT lymphocytes have the potential to eliminate tumors. Although tumor vaccines have been able to activate tumor-specific T cells and achieve modest clinical efficacy in treating human cancer patients, they are generally not curative because tumors possess immunosuppressive properties that confer resistance to immune-destruction. For instance, because tumors are not foreign and tumor antigens thus represent a form of self-antigen, T cell tolerance mechanisms that evolved to prevent autoimmunity have the undesirable effect of dampening tumor immunity.We have developed transgenic mouse models to study how T cell tolerance is established to self-antigens expressed on both healthy tissues as well as on prostate tumors, and how these tolerogenic processes can be reversed to enhance tumor immunity. In collaboration with Dr. Anthony Vella (Department of Immunology, UCHC) we have been studying how agonist antibodies to the costimulatory molecules CD134 (OX-40) and CD137 (4-1BB) reverse this tolerogenic process to program CD4 and CD8 T cells to differentiate into effector T cells with anti-tumor potential. We are currently working on the following projects:CD134 plus CD137 dual costimulation programs CD4 T cells to differentiate into cytotoxic killers. CD4 T cells normally help other immune cells such as B cells and CD8 T cells to function optimally. We unexpectedly found that CD134 plus CD137 dual costimulation programs CD4 T cells to develop cytotoxic capacity (a function classically associated with CD8+ CTL). Further, these cytotoxic CD4 T cells can directly target tumors, suggesting that dual costimulation therapy may be effective in preventing the outgrowth of CD8+ CTL-resistant tumors (a common problem associated with T cell-based cancer therapies). We are currently analyzing the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which dual costimulation programs this “non-classical” but therapeutically useful CD4 T cell differentiation pathway.Helping CD8 T cells to attack tumors. We have found that distinct CD4 helper-elicited cytokines work both cooperatively and antagonistically to program distinct facets of CD8 T cell responsiveness and effector function. Current efforts are aimed towards furthering our mechanistic understanding of these helper pathways, and how they can be harnessed to augment tumor immunity.

Accepting Lab Rotation Students: Spring 2 Block 2025

1. Examine how the IL-2 signaling pathway and the T-box transcription factor Eomesodermin cooperate to program epigenetic remodeling and transcription of genes encoding cytotoxic molecules in dual-costimulated CD4 T cells.2. Analyze the functional properties of regulatory T cells (Tregs) that have been induced to express cytotoxic molecules.3. Examine how CD4 helper-elicited cytokines act cooperatively to induce cytotoxic molecules but antagonistically to regulate IL-2 receptor expression in CD8 T cells.4. Assess the therapeutic potential of dual-costimulated CD4 and CD8 T cells in various tumor models.

Journal Articles

Book Chapters

Editorials

Letters

Notes

Reviews