Presented by:
Dr. Alexander Tarakhovsky, M.D., Ph.D.
Irene Diamond Professor of Immunology, Laboratory of Immune Cell Epigenetics and Signaling
Rockefeller University

Could changes in gene activity that do not involve changes to the genetic code explain why the lupus immune system turns on the body? The role of such ‘epigenetic’ gene control in autoimmunity is just beginning to be explored. Drawing on experience in B cell biology and epigenetics, Dr. Tarakhovsky's lab seeks to uncover how B cell survival in lupus and in normal mice is controlled by modifications of DNA binding proteins. They also test in mice an entirely new therapeutic approach for lupus that aims to reverse autoimmunity by targets a specific part of the cell’s epigenetic machinery.

Light refreshments served

Sponsored by the JCCC Tumor Immunology Program Area, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine and the UCLA AIDS Institute