As a member of the Translational Therapeutics Program at the OSUCCC – James, my research is focused on translational tumor immunology, namely discovering new targets and pathways in the tumor microenvironment that can lead to improvements in patient responses to immune-based therapeutics. In particular, my laboratory seeks to better understand the pancreatic tumor microenvironment and determine the mechanisms of resistance to immune-based therapeutics.

I am investigating how cell surface proteins (e.g., CD200) expressed by the tumor and stromal cells promote the expansion and function of immunosuppressive cell types like myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC), as well as how these immunosuppressive immune populations affect cancer-induced cachexia, a debilitating syndrome in patients with pancreatic cancer. My laboratory is also investigating dietary nutritional intervention to modulate inflammation in chronic diseases and cancer.

Many immunosuppressive pathways observed in pancreatic cancer are also observed in other inflammatory diseases, such as chronic pancreatitis. I believe that neutralizing aberrant inflammatory responses may be a viable first line of defense against cancer.

One very interesting approach to limiting inflammation lies in the use of dietary intervention with foods possessing chemopreventive activity. My research has shown that active metabolites from dietary compounds such as soy, black raspberries and tomatoes can alter inflammatory factors and immune populations. This preliminary work has led to a USDA-AFRI foundation grant on a soy/tomato-enriched diet as a modulator of inflammation in men with obesity. My laboratory has shown that these diets can also modulate the severity and inflammation of pancreatitis in pre-clinical animal models. The ultimate goal is to discover and identify novel immunological pathways that we can target to improve responses in patients with cancer and inflammatory diseases.

I have authored or co-authored several articles in peer-reviewed publications, such as Pancreas, Cancer Research, Cancer Immunology Immunotherapy and Scientific Reports. My laboratory is currently funded by a Pelotonia Idea Grant.