Immunology Program
The Justin Perry Lab
Research
The human body is estimated to remove 1% of its body mass, likely more than 200 billion cells, every day. To achieve this, we rely on a highly evolutionarily conserved process: apoptotic cell clearance or ‘efferocytosis’. Efferocytosis is essential for normal development and tissue homeostasis, but also pathogen defense and anti-tumor immunity. A single phagocyte typically ingests an entire apoptotic corpse, essentially doubling its content. Because phagocytes often ingest multiple targets in succession, we propose the existence of ‘rapid-response circuits’ composed of kinases that sense and activate in response to the change in a given solute, and solute transporters downstream of these kinases that impart the necessary flux of solutes. We believe these circuits allow phagocytes to handle the risk that corpse content poses to the homeostasis of both the phagocyte and ultimately the host. The central focus of our research program is to understand these rapid-response circuits governing how a phagocyte manages such excess cargo influx, how this relates to host immune function and homeostasis, and how these processes are exploited in cancer development and progression.
For more information, visit www.theperrylab.com
Research Projects
People
Justin Perry, PhD
- Immunologist Justin Perry investigates homeostatic apoptotic cell clearance and how this process is exploited during cancer development and progression.
- PhD, Washington University in St. Louis
Members
Postdoctoral Fellow
Senior Research Technician
Postdoctoral Fellow
Postdoctoral Fellow
Graduate Student
Postdoctoral Fellow
Achievements
- NIH/NCI Pathway to Independence Award K99/R00 (2019)
- Burroughs Wellcome Fund – PDEP Award (2018)
- Cancer Research Institute – Mark Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow (2018)
- HHMI Hanna H. Gray Fellow Finalist (2017)