Miguel Reina-Campos, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Center for Autoimmunity and Inflammation, Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, Center for Sex-based Differences in the Immune System
“Immunity masters both arts of war and peace - a powerful yet delicate balance maintained by functional tissue architectures and their immune residents - In them, we seek to find the blueprints that will unlock the next generation of immunotherapies”

Overview

Non-resectable solid tumors are often lethal, chronic infections fester, and autoimmunity can lead to serious complications. Establishing protective immunity, where it matters when it matters, is crucial to maintaining health. However, the guiding principles underlying tissue immunity are not yet well understood. Is the immune system spatially organized? Are tissue architectures evolved to accommodate immune populations? How dynamic are these populations? How does tissue immune diversity arise? What are the factors enabling robust protective responses?

In the Reina Laboratory, we seek to understand the underlying principles governing tissue immune networks that enable robust and long-term protection against infection and tumors. Thinking in systems, from molecular mechanisms to organismal physiology, we focus on tissue-resident memory CD8 T cells (TRM) as blueprints for optimal adaptation and protection against pathogens and tumors. Looking across organs, such as the small intestine, liver, and prostate, we find examples of distinct ecosystems in which the immune system, spearheaded by TRM, has evolved remarkably effective and different solutions.

Our vision is that this new understanding will catalyze the next generation of immunotherapies by precise and selective tuning of tissue immune responses to enhance anti-tumor immunity, improve vaccines, and ameliorate autoimmunity.

Featured publications

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Lab Members

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Mar 1, 2024
Miguel Reina-Campos, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor Center for Autoimmunity and Inflammation, Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, Center for Sex-based Differences in the Immune System

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Research Projects

Reina
How can we enhance tissue immunity?

As the mechanistic principles guiding tissue immunity unfold, the Reina Laboratory will focus on leveraging immune engineering technologies to enhance

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Reina
How is the tissue context enabling TRM-driven immunity?

Spatial transcriptomics at single-molecule resolution allows in situ measurements of hundreds to thousands of genes in large areas of tissues,

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Reina
What are the tissue-specific intrinsic adaptations of TRM?

Long-term tissue residency is a complex, context-dependent challenge requiring specific cellular adaptation strategies. Our recent work has identified common metabolic

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From the lab

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Awards & Honors

  • Rising Stars Symposium– Sanford Burnham Prebys Institute
  • Inaugural Arthur L. Irving Family Foundation Cancer Immunology Symposium
  • Cancer Research Institute (CRI) Irvington Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • La Caixa Fellowship for Graduate Studies in North America