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Disease to Biology

About
About the Disease to Biology CoLab

D2B CoLab is a collaboration-based research lab that focuses on profiling the immune system in a various set of diseases such as cancer, viral infection, autoimmune diseases and neurodegeneration. We use cutting edge technologies such as multi-parametric flow and mass cytometry, and bulk and single-cell RNA-seq to define the state of the immune system in both patients and healthy individuals. Our focus is to better understand the immunological context of different diseases in order to expand and improve immunotherapies.

D2B Alumni

Nayvin Chew 2019-2021 Graduate Student in Washington University

Alan Shen 2019-2021 Medical Student Cleveland Clinic

Peter Yan 2018-2020 Medical Student UCLA

Gabi Reeder 2018-2020 Graduate Student BMS program UCSF

How to work with D2B

Embedded researchers, training, and project consulting

We invite students, postdocs, and research scientists involved in our collaborative projects to come sit with us in our space to better work with and learn from our lab members, as well as encourage attendance at our lab meetings for relevant presentations. We also provide training on performing and analyzing immune profiling techniques such as flow and mass-cytometry, as single cell omics.  To explore these opportunities, contact us.

Methods development

We are interested in developing or adapting innovative single-cell omics methods for the UCSF community that achieve simultaneous profiling of multiple parameters at the single cell level. This aim to dissect the coordinated and complex expression pattern of different cell types in tissue and enable multi-modal data analysis. Methods developed by the D2B CoLab includes whole blood single-cell RNAseq or flow cytometry-based functional metabolism profiling.

Our research

In D2B we are interested in using single-cell omics technologies to discover and dissect recurring patterns of the immune system. The immune system functions as a coordinated set of diverse cell types and signaling activities that act as a primary driver and reflection of the state of human health. The past decade has seen a revolution in cancer treatment due to a shift from traditional chemotherapy and radiation-based therapies toward the use of antibody-based immunotherapies that modulate immune response against tumors. However, the clinical responses to immunotherapy in patients has been highly variable and still mainly restricted to cancer. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the diversity of the immune microenvironment across diseases is critical to expand the reach of immunotherapy in tumors as well as other diseases. Projects involve collaborations between members of our lab and researchers from other labs. We expect that each lab has a degree investment and intellectual ownership over the work to ensure that cutting edge science occurs. To learn more about our research focus and ongoing projects, go here. Interested in starting a collaboration? Our contact info can be found here.

 

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Learn about CoProjects

CoProjects are a series of shared projects designed to integrate our community through common pipelines and data curation. CoLabs CoProjects aim to build immune profiles for untapped streams of human diseases at UCSF.