Immune Archetypes and Dynamics in Cancer

My lab specializes in the discovery of multicellular networks that give the immune system its definition. As a corollary, we are invested in targeting of archetypal collections of immune systems, notably those involving networks of cells built around T cell-myeloid interaction. Our work spans scales from membrane organization, to cell biology, to entire immune systems. My lab focuses on figuring out how immune systems, collections of cells in complex tissues, work. Our cell biology work starts with highly resolved imaging of the immune cells, to understand how immune cells interact so efficiently. To do all our work, we capitalize on combinations of in-house and externally generated innovations in spatial imaging and systems biology, to track information processing by the immune system. In addition, my lab emphasizes the study of how information is exchanged in the dense cellular milieu of organs. 

For this and all our projects, our team drives collaborative science. We founded a microscopy ‘collaboratory’ at UCSF which unites ‘shared’ technical personnel and funding. Together with other UCSF faculty, we also co-founded the ImmunoX initiative, a radical collaboration platform focused on methods and data sharing to accelerate discovery and cures and built a series of linked cores called ‘CoLabs’. This initiative also emphasizes public outreach and interaction to disseminate the value of science. 

Our science has led to numerous clinical advances including next-generation ‘Myeloid tuning’ therapies through Pionyr Immunotherapeutics and Foundery Innovations: biotechnology ventures that our lab co-founded. It also includes converting pathway analysis to treatments that includes invention of anti-CTLA-4 ‘checkpoint blockade’ methods (over 100,000 patients treated), I made, as a graduate student.