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.

The translational research in my lab bridges basic and clinical investigation by engaging genomic technologies to understand relationships between microbes, host response and clinical outcomes. We study lower respiratory tract infections, ARDS, sepsis, nosocomial infections, and emerging pathogens including SARS-CoV-2. One focus area involves developing new diagnostic techniques that combine metagenomic sequencing and machine learning to simultaneously profile both host and microbiome from clinical samples.

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.

Dr Waubant trained as a neurologist in Toulouse, France. She continued her training as a neuroimmunology fellow in Dr Stephen Hauser’s UCSF laboratory, focusing on matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) and their tissue inhibitors (TIMP), and their role in migration of lymphocytes through equivalents of the blood-brain barrier. In 1994, Dr Waubant returned to Toulouse to complete her 2-year junior faculty/chief residency in neurology. Dr Waubant later returned as a clinical research fellow at the UCSF MS Center with Dr Donald Goodkin.

Research Interests: Bronchial hyperreactivity in asthma. Effects of viral infection on airway function. Regulation of airway mucous secretion and vascular permeability.