Lab Overview
The Rubinstein Lab has four broad research focuses:
Immune checkpoint inhibitors
Administration of immune checkpoint inhibitors has demonstrated unprecedented efficacy in the treatment of select cancers. Immune checkpoint inhibitors act by removing tumor inhibitory signals that would otherwise prevent immune cells from killing tumor cells. While some patients can achieve long-term tumor regression, a major hurdle in the field is a lack of understanding why some patients with cancer do not respond to checkpoint therapy. The Rubinstein laboratory focuses on 1) developing methods to improve checkpoint therapy, 2) identifying biomarkers to predict which patients will respond, and 3) uncovering mechanisms by which patients achieve durable clinical responses after checkpoint therapy.
Adoptive cellular therapy
The transfer of tumor-killing immune cells has shown great promise in certain cancers refractory to other therapies. The Rubinstein laboratory is developing techniques for improving these adoptive cellular therapy strategies. For example, many clinical strategies use chemotherapy or radiation prior to adoptive cellular therapy with the goal of making room for the donor cells. We are developing methodology to avoid the need for these harsh and toxic therapies while retaining the ability to mediate durable tumor regression.
Understanding tumor-induced immune suppression
One problem in applying immune-based approaches for the treatment of cancer is that tumor cells often suppress immune responses. Thus, inducing an effective immune response may require either reversing suppression or making immune cells resistant to suppression. The Rubinstein laboratory is using the latest technologies to study human tumor biopsies and other tissues, with the goal of overcoming immune suppression and developing therapies.
Immunology and human disease
The immune system plays a central role in mediating human health and affects almost every human disease. Our goal is to take advantage of advances in technology to understand key immunological mechanisms, identify biomarkers and develop therapies. Ongoing efforts include studies related to SARS-CoV2 and other infectious disease, and examining the interaction of these pathways with oncology.