Holden Maecker, PhD, Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Stanford University

Research Description: Our lab’s research focuses on cellular immune responses to pathogens and cancer, and the correlation of those responses with protection from clinical disease, or response to therapy. We use systems-level immune monitoring assays, including CyTOF mass cytometry and antibody-based platforms for cytokines. We currently have projects focused on cytomegalovirus (CMV), EBV, obesity, and cancer. These are all settings where cellular immunity is important, and thus we wish to map the detailed phenotypes and functions of the immune cells involved. Correlating these phenotypes and functions with disease outcome or therapeutic responsiveness would enable better vaccine development and monitoring of individuals undergoing immunotherapy. Our long-term goal is to is to create an assay of global immune competence that could predict risk for various immune-related outcomes in both healthy individuals and in disease. Additionally, the Stanford Cancer Immune Monitoring and Analysis Center Grant sponsors the Immune Monitoring Core at Stanford University, School of Medicine, providing an essential resource used by over 20 NORC researchers to support the study of immune function in obesity and metabolic disease. We collaborate extensively with many members of the NORC.