The Spitzer Lab is working to develop our understanding of how the immune system coordinates its responses across the organism with an emphasis on tumor immunology. We combine methods in experimental immunology and cancer biology with computation to understand the modes in which the immune system can respond to tumors and to rationally initiate curative immune responses against cancer.

Dr. Chloe E. Atreya specializes in gastrointestinal cancer, particularly colorectal cancer, at the UCSF Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center. She also co-directs the Integrative Onolcogy Program and Research Hub. Her research focuses on the interplay of tumor genetics and response to therapies for colorectal cancer, with the goal of improving patient outcomes and quality of life by personalizing treatment.

I study the pathobiology of critical illness, including organ dysfunction and infection, in children with cancer, immunodeficiencies, and those who have undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Bryan J. Winn, MD, is a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at UCSF and Chief of Ophthalmology at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He is board-certified in Ophthalmology and a fellow of the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS), specializing in the medical and surgical management of eyelid, lacrimal, and orbital disorders, as well as aesthetic rejuvenation of the face.

Dr. Renuka Nayak, MD, PhD, is a physician-scientist dedicated to advancing the care and treatment of patients with rheumatologic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriatic arthritis, and other autoimmune diseases. She uses her unique backgrounds in Biology, Computer Science, and Clinical Rheumatology to investigate the role of the human gut microbiome in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

The Pollard lab develops statistical and computational methods for the analysis of massive biomedical datasets. Our research focuses on emerging technologies for genomics, mass spectrometry, and imaging. We specialize in evolutionary and comparative approaches, including machine-learning integration of diverse types of data and longitudinal models of dynamics in disease and development. Examples of current projects are massively parallel dissection of regulatory networks and decoding cryptic variation in the human microbiome.