Nathan Karin, PhD, Professor

Our laboratory focuses on the role of peptides that direct the migration and function of T cells and NK cells in cancer and autoimmunity.

Currently, most of the attention is drawn to cancer diseases with two major chemokine receptors of interest, CXCR3 and CCR8. As for CXCR3, long ago we discovered that two of its ligands induce effector T cells, and thus could potentially be used to induce anti-cancer immune reactivity. Recently, we discovered a mechanism by which one may direct their activity in a novel way. One of our major projects focuses on that aspect. As for CCR8, we reported that this receptor is a key driver of the function of regulatory T cells, and are now exploring its role in cancer diseases.