TIGP (BIO)—Systems approaches towards molecular profiling of human diseases

Abstract

              The delineation of individualized biology at the single cell level has been a mainstay of immunologic inquiry. For examples, the introduction of the use of specific staining reagents for flow cytometry revolutionized our understanding of cellular individuality in immune function. At the other end of the spectrum, biochemical approaches using bulk assay techniques were making significant headway in understanding signaling pathways, phosphorylation, and other attributes of cellular physiology. Concomitantly, biologists desired to measure more events per sample in a process that has now led to the understanding that cells operate as complex networks-- and that to understand network biology requires as much a systems approach of measuring multiple component parts simultaneously as well as ascribing those functions to individual cells. This comes astride technical advances that have reached a point where it is possible to study many cellular functions down to the level of the single cell.

 

              My lab focuses on creating innovative single-cell analysis tools and harnessing advanced technologies to tackle key biomedical and clinical challenges related to the immune system. Our goal is to uncover the fundamental mechanisms governing the immune response to invading pathogens and cancer cells within the tumor microenvironment. In this presentation, I will discuss our recent efforts to integrate diverse 'omics' approaches, allowing us to draw data-driven connections between different pathways as T cells and NK cells undergo exhaustion within the local environment. We will also examine how these insights correlate with clinical outcomes.

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