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Immunobiology and Cancer Research Program

K. Mark Coggeshall, Ph.D. Member, Immunobiology and Cancer Research Program Robert S. Kerr, Jr. Endowed Chair in Cancer Research Adjunct Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology,   University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Scholar of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Everything that happens to a cell occurs as a result of “signals” that start or stop specific processes inside the cell. The signals tell the cell to grow, to make a new protein, or to become a different kind of cell. Whether it’s a brain, nerve, skin or bone cell, every process necessary to life only happens when signals are sent or received in the right way and at the right time. All the projects in my lab center on the study of those signals, an area we refer to as “signal transduction. “

Signal transduction can be compared to an electric circuit, where wires from an on/off switch send power from its source to a device. The wiring diagram in a cell is very complicated and more like a stereo system. It will play tapes, CDs or radio; it will connect to your television or speakers, it will have volume, balance and tuning properties, and there are amplifiers and current regulators. We study what happens between the power source and the desired output—in this case, music. What specific thing is turned on with what switch, and how does it control the quality and quantity of the cellular music? That’s what we want to know.

One of our projects focuses on anthrax and why it kills people. Once anthrax is contracted, the on/off switch in blood cells should stimulate the circuit and activate the body’s bacteria fighters. But in anthrax, the on/off switch doesn’t work properly, so the bacteria continue to grow unchecked. This results in a sepsis-like condition, where the bacteria grow uncontrolled in the bloodstream. We are looking at how the cells respond to the bacteria and how to develop ways for them to fight it more effectively.

In a new project, we look at the reasons some vaccines work and some don’t. Vaccines introduce a small particle of a foreign substance into the body. Ideally, the body produces antibodies against the substance, which, in turn, provide immunity. But some people don’t respond to vaccines or are poorly protected, as often happens with the anthrax vaccine. In animals, we found many signaling proteins that control the music of vaccines. We think similar problems happen in people, too. By learning more about how vaccines signal the immune system, we may be able to predict which vaccines will work best and develop better, more targeted vaccines for anthrax and other diseases.