A.W. and Mary Margaret Clausen Distinguished Professor
Director, Hormone Research Institute
Diabetes Center
Jeffrey Bluestone, PhD, is the A.W. and Mary Margaret Clausen Distinguished Professor of Metabolism and Endocrinology and is the Director of the Hormone Research Institute in the Diabetes Center. His research over the past 25 years has focused on understanding the basic processes that control T cell activation and immune tolerance in autoimmunity and organ transplantation.
Immune receptors are surprisingly modular and can be mutated and composed to rewire cellular inputs and outputs, as showcased by the success of cell-based genetic therapies like Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy. My work involves high-throughput pooled screening of thousands of different synthetic receptors. A better understanding of the relationship between receptor sequence, signaling outcome, and cellular phenotype will lead to next-generation cell-based genetic therapies which manipulate the immune system to combat a variety of diseases.
Tiffany recently recieved her bachelor's degree in molecular cell biology from UC Berkeley. She is interested in translational medicine that combines the fields of immunotherapy and regenerative medicine. This summer, she will be investigating thymic epithelial cell and thymocyte co-cultures through UC Berkeley's undergraduate research fellowship.
Outside of lab, she enjoys getting sunlight, trying new foods, and exploring nature in the Bay Area--especially tidepools.
Jee graduated from UC Berkeley with B.S in Chemical Biology in Fall 19.
She and Arabella are working on the development of immune-related adverse events in response to cancer-immunotherapies in cancer. They are developing preclinical mouse models to assess both anti-tumor immunity and autoimmunity together. I'm interested in autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes as well.
Outside lab, she enjoys watching dramas, water painting and buying/taking care of plants.
I am a physician-scientist with clinical expertise in cancer immunotherapy and melanoma. As a cancer immunology researcher, I have trained in the labs of immunotherapy pioneers Drs. Michel Sadelain, Renier Brentjens, Jedd Wolchok, and Jeff Bluestone. I now lead a lab with a research focus on improving checkpoint inhibitors and adoptive T cell therapy using chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) to cure metastatic solid tumors.
Morvarid receiver her bachelor's degree in Public Health from UC Berkeley. She is interested in translational medicine and the development of immune-based therapies for the treatment of cancer and diabetes. Outside of the lab, she is a talented baker, enjoys dancing, watching movies, traveling, and planning adventurous activities.
Zoe completed her MD at UCSF and her MS in Health and Medical Sciences at UC Berkeley. She completed her residency training in Internal Medicine at Stanford Hospital and Clinics prior to returning to UCSF for her Endocrinology and Diabetes for fellowship. Her research focus is in endocrine immune related adverse events following cancer immunotherapy. She is a recipient of the American Diabetes Association Postdoctoral Fellowship.
Zoe enjoys outdoor adventures and trying out hole-in-the wall restaurants
Cell-based gene therapies offer unprecedented promise for medicine. One day, it may be possible to cure degenerative diseases that consist of the loss of one or several specialized cell functions, as well as to decelerate the deterioration our bodies experience during aging. However, several hurdles must be surpassed in order to establish cell transplantation therapies, a major one being rejection by the recipient's immune system.
Linda completed her PhD in stem cell biology and hematopoietic development from Harvard Medical School. Her research is focused on harnessing the regenerative potential of human pluripotent stem cells to generate antigen-specific T cells de novo, which will inform novel experimental and therapeutic strategies for cancer immunotherapy and autoimmunity. Linda is a recipient of the Damon Runyon Postdoctoral Research Fellowship.
