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Barber Lab

Research and Discoveries

Learn about the research projects being conducted at the Barber Lab.

    Breakthroughs and discoveries

    Dr. Barber is an accomplished, world-recognized cancer research specialist with an impressive catalogue of breakthroughs, discoveries and publications. These include:

    • Contributions to Unraveling Mechanisms of Innate Immune Signaling
    • Discovery of the STING, Cytosolic DNA-Activated Innate Immune Pathway
    • Viruses as Therapeutics for Cancer
    • Dr. Glen N. Barber Receives The William B. Coley Award For Distinguished Research In Basic And Tumor Immunology. 2020
    • Dr. Glen N. Barber Elected A Fellow Of The Royal Society (FRS), London, UK. 2021.
    • Dr. Glen N. Barber Wins The Prestigious 2023 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize From Columbia University

    Publications (Selected)

    • Ahn J, Xia T, Rabasa Capote A, Betancourt D, Barber GN. Extrinsic Phagocyte-Dependent STING Signaling Dictates the Immunogenicity of Dying Cells. Cancer Cell. 2018 May 14;33(5):862-873.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.ccell.2018.03.027. Epub 2018 Apr 26. PMID: 29706455
    • Ahn J, Son S, Oliveira SC, Barber GN. STING-Dependent Signaling Underlies IL-10 Controlled Inflammatory Colitis. Cell Reports. 2017 Dec 26;21(13):3873-3884. doi: 10.1016/ j.celrep.2017.11.101. PMID: 29281834
    • Swanson KV, Junkins RD, Kurkjian CJ, Holley-Guthrie E, Pendse AA, El Morabiti R, Petrucelli A, Barber GN, Benedict CA, Ting JP. A noncanonical function of cGAMP in inflammasome priming and activation. Journal of Experimental Medicine. 2017 Dec 4;214(12):3611-3626. doi: 10.1084/jem.20171749. Epub 2017Oct 13. PMID: 29030458
    • Dou Z, Ghosh K, Vizioli MG, Zhu J, Sen P, Wangensteen KJ, Simithy J, Lan Y, Lin Y, Zhou Z, Capell BC, Xu C, Xu M, Kieckhaefer JE, Jiang T, Shoshkes-Carmel M, Tanim KMAA, Barber GN, Seykora JT, Millar SE, Kaestner KH, Garcia BA, Adams PD, Berger SL. Cytoplasmic chromatin triggers inflammation in senescence and cancer. Nature. 2017 Oct 4. doi: 10.1038/nature24050 PMID: 28976970
    • Ni G, Konno H, Barber, GN. Ubiquitination of STING at lysine 224 controls IRF3 activation. Science Immunology. 2017 May 5;2(11). pii: eaah7119. doi: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aah7119. PMID: 28763789
    • Xia T, Konno H, Barber, GN. Recurrent Loss of STING Signaling in Melanoma Correlates with Susceptibility to Viral Oncolysis. Cancer Research 2016, Nov 15;76(22):6747-6759. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-16-1404. Epub 2016 Sep 28. PMID: 27680683
    • Xia T, Konno H, Ahn J, Barber, GN. Deregulation of STING Signaling in Colorectal Carcinoma Constrains DNA-Damage Responses and Correlates With Tumorigenesis. Cell Reports. 2016 Jan;14(2):282-97. doi:10.2016/j.celrep.2015.12.029. PubMed PMID: 26748708
    • Barber GN. STING: infection, inflammation and cancer. Nature Review Immunology. 2015 Dec;15(12):760-70. doi: 10.1038/nri3921. PubMed
      PMID: 26603901
    • Ahn J, Barber GN. Self-DNA, STING-dependent signaling and the origins of autoinflammatory disease. Current opinion in immunology. 2014 Dec.;31:121-6. doi: 10.1016/j.coi.2014.10.009. PubMed PMID: 25459004
    • Ahn J, Ruiz P, Barber GN. Intrinsic Self-DNA triggers inflammatory disease dependent on STING. Journal of Immunology. 2014 Nov;193(9):4634-42. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1401337. PubMed PMID: 2526147
    • Woo SR, Fuertes MB, Corrales L, Spranger S, Furdyna MJ, Leung MY, Duggan R, Wang Y, Barber GN, Fitzgerald KA, Alegre ML, Gajewski TF. STING-dependent cytosolic DNA sensing mediates innate immune recognition of immunogenic tumors. Immunity. 2014;41(5):830-42. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2014.10.017. PubMed PMID: 25517615; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4384884
    • Ahn J, Xia T, Konno H, Konno K, Ruiz P, Barber GN. Inflammation-driven carcinogenesis is mediated through STING. Nature Communications. 2014 Oct;5:5166. doi: 10.1038/ncomms6166. PubMed PMID: 25300616
    • Barber GN. STING-dependent cytosolic DNA sensing pathways. Trends in Immunology. 2014 Feb.;35(2):88-93. Epub 2013/12/07. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2013.10.010. PubMed PMID: 24309426
    • Konno H, Konno K, Barber GN. Cyclic Di Nucleotides Trigger ULK1 (ATG1) Phosphorylation of STING to Prevent Sustained Innate Immune Signaling. Cell. 2013 Oct. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2013.09.049. PubMed PMID: 24119841
    • Ahn J, Gutman D, Saijo S, Barber GN. STING manifests selfDNA-dependent inflammatory disease. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2012 Nov;109(47):19386-91. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1215006109. PubMed PMID: 23132945; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3511090
    • Gall A, Treuting P, Elkon KB, Loo YM, Gale M, Jr., Barber GN, Stetson DB. Autoimmunity initiates in non-hematopoietic cells and progresses via lymphocytes in an interferon-dependent autoimmune disease. Immunity. 2012 Jan.;36(1):120-31. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2011.11.018. PubMed PMID: 22284419; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3269499
    • Barber GN. Cytoplasmic DNA innate immune pathways. Immunological Reviews. 2011 Sep;243(1):99-108. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-065X.2011.01051.x. Review. PMID: 21884170
    • Ishikawa H, Ma Z, Barber GN. STING regulates intracellular DNA-mediated, type I interferon-dependent innate immunity. Nature. 2009 Oct.;461(7265):788-92. doi: 10.1038/nature08476. PubMed PMID: 19776740.
    • Ishikawa H, Barber GN. STING an endoplasmic reticulum adaptor that facilitates innate immune signaling. Nature. 2008 Oct.;455(7213):674-8. doi: 10.1038/nature07317. PubMed PMID: 18724357; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2804933.
    • Balachandran S, Thomas E, Barber GN. A FADD-dependent innate immune mechanism in mammalian cells. Nature. 2004 Nov;432(7015):401-5. doi: 10.1038/nature03124. PubMed PMID: 15549108
    • Obuchi M, Fernandez M, Barber GN. Development of recombinant vesicular stomatitis viruses that exploit defects in host defense to augment specific oncolytic activity. Journal of Virology. 2003 Aug;77(16):8843-56. PubMed PMID: 12885903; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC167243
    • Fernandez M, Porosnicu M, Markovic D, Barber GN. Genetically engineered vesicular stomatitis virus in gene therapy: application for treatment of malignant disease. Journal of Virology. 2002 Jan;76(2):895-904. PubMed PMID: 11752178; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC136833
    • Balachandran S, Barber GN. Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) therapy of tumors. IUBMB Life. 2000 Aug;50(2):135-8. doi: 10.1080/713803696. PubMed PMID: 11185959
    • Balachandran S, Roberts PC, Kipperman T, Bhalla KN, Compans RW, Archer DR, Barber GN. Alpha/beta interferons potentiate virus-induced apoptosis through activation of the FADD/Caspase-8 death signaling pathway. Journal of Virology. Feb 2000;74(3):1513-23. PubMed PMID: 10627563; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC111487

    Contact Information

    Barber Lab
    Glen.Barber@osumc.edu