Current Research

Our research focuses on understanding mechanisms that regulate innate immune cell generation and function in cancer and inflammation, with the goal to use this knowledge to advance cancer immunotherapy.

We use multidisciplinary approaches encompassing molecular, cellular, and model organism-based experimentation to address fundamental immunological questions.

We are also fortunate to collaborate with an array of translational and clinical investigators, allowing us to examine clinically-relevant questions.
Our research projects center on delineating how extracellular factors affect the function of antigen-presenting cells in the tumor microenvironment via intracellular STAT signaling, advancing use of our novel type 1 conventional dendritic cell (cDC1) vaccine in cancer immunotherapy-refractory tumors, and understanding how STAT3 signaling protects the hematopoietic system.

We have recently generated novel animal models of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) -associated colitis.
These models are being used to investigate innate immune responses and fecal microbiome components that influence therapeutic response to ICI and development of ICI colitis.