Michael Lipscomb
University of Minnesota, MN·Microbiology & Immunology
The immune system must attack infections and tumors while leaving the body's own tissues alone. Two kinds of immune cells help strike that balance.
- Fields
Microbiology & Immunology
Medicine & Clinical Research
- Topics
dendritic cells
macrophages
myeloid cells
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through May 2027
What they work on
- Determine how AIF1 and Pde1b control the development of dendritic cells and macrophages from their precursor cells, using conditional and whole-body knockout mice.
- Describe the signaling processes by which other newly identified immune-regulating genes, found through RNAi screening, direct dendritic cell and macrophage responses.
- Define how AIF1 in dendritic cells and macrophages starts inflammation and sustains self-attacking T cell responses in insulitis, the immune attack on insulin-producing cells.
- Identify how pathogens that live inside cells block AIF1 and Pde1b by disrupting calcium signaling and cyclic nucleotide levels to evade host immunity.
More about the research
Dendritic cells (DCs) show pieces of microbes to T cells and tell them how to respond. Macrophages are cells that control inflammation in tissues. Both cell types can push the body toward an immune attack or toward tolerance, but the molecular controls behind this choice are poorly understood. This gap has slowed the development of immune-based therapies.
Why it matters
Faulty immune control underlies autoimmune diseases, such as the islet inflammation (insulitis) that precedes type 1 diabetes, as well as immune deficiencies, infections and cancer. By showing how AIF1 and Pde1b steer dendritic cells and macrophages, this work could point to new targets for immunotherapies and drug treatments that strengthen immunity against pathogens or calm harmful autoimmune responses.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Mia Smith
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus, CO·Microbiology & Immunology
Determine how insulin-binding BND2 B cells escape anergy, the normal switched-off state that prevents self-attack, and become activated in young-onset type 1 diabetes.
Sudeep Kumar
Albany Medical College, NY·Microbiology & Immunology
Test whether delivering protein antigens to human FcγRI, an antibody-tail receptor on macrophages and dendritic cells, promotes cross-presentation, using an antigen-binding fragment of an anti-hFcγRI antibody that avoids engaging other Fc receptors.
Diana Elizondo
University of Maryland-Baltimore County, MD·Physiology·Early-career
Determine how TGases in myeloid cells, including macrophages, drive adipose tissue inflammation and unhealthy fat expansion in obesity, using conditional knockout mice.
The school
University of Minnesota: 88 labs on PI Pages, $1.4B a year on research, 722 research doctorates a year.
Reach out
A start for your email. Fill in the brackets.