Events for April 11, 2025
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Alfred E.Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering - Seminar series
Fri, Apr 11, 2025 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Morgan Huse, Ph.D., Member, Immunology Program at MSKCC
Talk Title: âÂÂMechanoregulation of Anti-tumor ImmunityâÂÂ
Abstract: The Huse lab studies the structure and function of dynamic immune cell-cell interactions. We are particularly interested in the immunological synapses formed between cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and the transformed or infected target cells they aim to destroy. In recent years, CTL-mediated killing has emerged as a central component of several promising anti-cancer immunotherapies. Hence, a better understanding of the mechanisms controlling this process could provide avenues for enhancing the potency and specificity of CTLs in clinical contexts. Using a combination of synthetic chemistry, materials science, single cell biophysical assays, and fluorescence video-microscopy, we have 1) identified critical signaling pathways required to establish the cytoskeletal architecture of the synapse, and 2) established a novel role for mechanical force in controlling the potency and specificity of killing responses. These results have spawned a more holistic understanding of how physical and chemical processes synergize to facilitate intercellular communication in the immune system.
Biography: Dr. Huse grew up in East Asia before completing high school in Los Angeles. After graduating from Harvard University with a degree in Biochemical Sciences, he carried out doctoral work at the Rockefeller University in the labs of John Kuriyan and Tom Muir. His Ph.D. thesis focused on the phosphoregulation of the TGFβ receptor. Dr. Huse then worked as a postdoctoral fellow in Mark Davis’ lab at Stanford University, where he studied signal transduction and polarized effector responses in T cells. He took a position in the MSKCC Immunology Program in 2007. Since then, his lab has investigated the dynamic architecture of immune cell-cell interactions. He has studied key signaling pathways required for the elaboration of specific interfacial structures and the importance of mechanical force as an avenue for communication between immune cells and their targets. His talk today will describe recent studies from his lab aimed at understanding the mechanoregulation of immune effector responses.
Host: Peter Yingxiao Wang- Chair of Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 109
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Carla Stanard
This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.
