Department:
Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
UMGCC Research Program:
Experimental Therapeutics Program Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy
Education/Training:
Medical Degree:
M.D., Kyushu University, Japan
Post Doctoral
Degree:
Ph.D., Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Japan
Fellowship:
Mayo Medical School, Rochester
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore
Contact
Information:
Mailing Address:
Bressler Research Building, 9-043
655 W. Baltimore Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
Email:
ktamada@som.umaryland.edu
Phone:
410-328-5114
Fax:
410-328-6559
Research Interests:
To create innovative cancer immunotherapy by co-signal approaches:
Immune system has a capacity of recognizing non-self and self-derived abnormal components such as pathogens, grafted organs and cancer cells, eliminating them, and therefore maintaining biological homeostasis. Expansion, contraction, and memory formation of immune responses is tightly regulated together with the specificity of antigen recognition, so that maximized responses can be achieved without causing anti-self autoimmune reactions. While regulation of integrated immune responses is dependent on numbers of factors including intracellular, cell-surface, and secreted molecules, co-signal system is among the most crucial determinant for the fine-tuning of immune responses. Co-signal system potentially mediates positive or negative effects on immune cells, and the majority of them structurally classified into immunoglobulin or tumor necrosis factor superfamily proteins. Aberrant expressions or dysfunctions of co-signal proteins are causative of immune vulnerability or autoimmunity. Overall goal of our research is to identify and characterize novel co-signal molecules through biochemical and immunological approaches, and manipulate them to develop innovative and efficient immunotherapies against cancer.
Publications:
Xu, Y., Flies, A.S., Flies, D.B., Zhu, G., Anand, S., Flies, S.J., Xu, H., Anders, R., Hancock, W.W., Chen, L. and Tamada, K. Selective targeting of the LIGHT-HVEM co-stimulatory system for the treatment of graft-versus-host disease. Blood 109. 4097-4104, 2007.
Sudarshan, A., Wang, P., Yoshimura, K., Choi, I-H., Hilliard, A., Chen, Y.H., Wang, C-R., Schulick, R., Flies, A.S., Flies, D.B., Zhu, G., Xu, Y., Pardoll. D.M., Chen, L. and Tamada, K. Essential role of TNF family molecule LIGHT as a cytokine in the pathogenesis of hepatitis. J. Clin. Invest. 116. 1045-1051, 2006.
Tamada, K. and Chen, L. Renewed interest in cancer immunotherapy with the tumor necrosis factor superfamily molecules. Cancer Immunol. Immunother. 55. 355-362, 2006.
Tamada, K., Tamura, H., Flies, D., Fu, X.Y., Celis, E., Pease, L.R., Blazar, B.R. and Chen, L. Blockade of LIGHT/LTb and CD40 signaling induces allospecific T cell anergy, preventing graft-versus-host disease. J. Clin. Invest. 109. 549-557, 2002.
Tamada, K., Shimozaki, K., Chapoval, A.I., Zhu, G., Sica, G., Flies, D., Boone, T., Hsu, H., Fu, X.Y., Nagata, S., Ni, J. and Chen, L. Modulation of T-cell-mediated immunity in tumor and graft-versus-host disease models through the LIGHT costimulatory pathway. Nature Med. 6. 283-289, 2000.
