Faculty Mentor

Professor Ping Xie, of the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, is interested in regulation of immune cell homeostasis and functionality which is central to the proper functioning of the immune system in vertebrates.  Aberrant functions of immune cells and dysregulation of immune responses contribute to the pathogenesis of almost all human diseases, including infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, inflammation, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancers.  To understand the molecular mechanisms of immune regulation, she starts from a critical regulator of the immune system, a cytoplasmic adaptor protein termed TRAF3.  She is currently investigating the contributions and mechanisms of TRAF3 in B lymphomagenesis.  She is also elucidating the functions and mechanisms of TRAF3 in innate immunity and inflammation by generating myeloid cell-specific TRAF3-/- mice.  Knowledge gathered from these research programs will provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of immune regulation and cancer pathogenesis, and will lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of B lymphoma and chronic inflammation.