Andrew Luster, M.D., Ph.D.


Director
Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital
Persis, Cyrus and Marlow B. Harrison Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Physician Investigator (NonCl)
Medicine, Mass General Research Institute
Physician (Non-Clinical)
Medicine-Rheumatology, Massachusetts General Hospital
MD Weill Cornell Medical College 1988
PhD Rockefeller University 1987
chemokines; chemokines cxc; chemotaxis leukocyte; immunotherapy; receptors chemokine; receptors cxcr3; receptors leukotriene b4

The Luster Laboratory focuses on understanding the role of chemokines and lipid chemoattractants and their receptors in controlling the trafficking of leukocytes in vivo. Gene-targeted and transgenic mouse strains have been developed to study the role of chemokines and chemoattractant receptors in the development and delivery of organ-specific innate and adaptive immune and inflammatory responses in mouse models of inflammatory, autoimmune, allergic and infectious diseases.

System biology approaches are being utilized to understand how multiple chemoattractant pathways are integrated in vivo for the fine control of leukocyte trafficking. In vivo multiphoton microscopy is being utilized to interrogate the function of chemokines in controlling the migratory and interactive behavior of T cells and dendritic cells in lymph nodes and peripheral tissue.

We also study the regulation of chemokine production in vivo since this is a critical determinant of their role in a given biological response. We have a particular interest in the role of innate immune receptors, such as toll-like receptors, in regulating chemokine production in vivo. We are also interested in structure-function relationships of chemokines and their receptors as well as the molecular mechanism of chemokine signal transduction, as these are important questions relevant to chemotaxis and immune cell trafficking in health and disease. Finally, chemokines and chemoattractant receptors are interrogated in human diseases to determine chemokine systems relevant for disease pathogenesis.

Research lab website Publications
aluster@mgh.harvard.edu
6177265710

CNY-Building #149
149 13th Street
Charlestown, MA 02129