Study the regulatory and pathogenic T-cells in transplantation immunology. The main focuses are 1) to use molecular techniques to generate more stable and robust induced regulatory T cells for transplant tolerance, and 2) to study the modulatory roles of novel cytokines on Th subsets differentiation. The animal models used are mouse skin and islet transplantation.
Bettelli E*, Carrier Y*, Gao W*, Korn T, Strom TB, Oukka M, Weiner HL, Kuchroo VK. Reciprocal developmental pathways for the generation of pathogenic effector TH17 and regulatory T cells. Nature 2006; 441:235-8. *Co-first authors.
Gao W*, Lu Y, Essawy BE, Oukka M, Kuchroo VK, Strom TB. Contrasting effects of Rapamycin and Cyclosporine in de novo generation of alloantigen-specific regulatory T cells. Am. J. Transplant. 2007; 7:1722-32. *Corresponding author.
Deaglio S*, Dwyer KM*, Gao W*, Friedman D, Usheva A, Erat A, Chen J, Enjyoji K, Linden J, Strom TB, Robson SC. Adenosine Generation Catalyzed by Regulatory T cells Mediates Immune Suppression. J. Exp. Med. 2007; 204:1257-65. *Co-first authors.
Korn T*, Bettelli E*, Gao W*, Awasthi A, J�ger A, Strom TB, Oukka M, Kuchroo VK. IL-21 initiates an alternate pathway to induce proinflammatory Th17 cells. Nature 2007; 448:484-7. *Co-first authors.
Zhang Q, Putheti P, Zhou Q, Liu Q, Gao W*. Structures and biological functions of IL-31 and IL-31 receptors. Cytokine and Growth Factor Rev. 2008; 19:XXX-X (in press). *Corresponding author.
External Recognition:
2002-2004 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Postdoc Fellowship #3-2002-92. �PD-1/PD-L Negative Co-Stimulation in Maintaining b Cell Tolerance�.
2005-2006 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Innovative Grant #5-2005-108, PI. �Delivering Negative Co-Stimulation for Tolerance Induction�.
2006-2007 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Innovative Grant #5-2006-19, PI. �Generating CD8 Treg for Islet Tolerance�.
2007-2008 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Innovative Grant #5-2007-690, PI. �Stabilizing iTreg phenotype to prevent islet rejection�.
2007-2010 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Regular Grant #1-2007-551, PI. �Role of induced Foxp3 Tregs in islet transplantation�.
2006, July Invited Speaker, �Natural and induced regulatory T cells in transplantation�. Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, New York, NY.
2006, Sept. Awardee and Invited Speaker, �De novo generation of regulatory T cells in transplantation�. The Transplantation Society New Key Opinion Leader Meetings, Barcelona, Spain.
Reviewer for Clinical Immunology; Kidney International; Critical Care Medicine; Journal of American Society of Nephrology; U.S. Civilian Research & Development Foundation; Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine.
Major Collaborative Activities:
Collaborate with Dr. Simon C. Robson on CD39 in regulatory and memory T cells; with Dr. Xian C. Li on OX40 signaling in regulatory T cells.
