People

Summer Brown, MA

she/her

Program Manager, Vanderbilt Center for Immunobiology

I manage the operations of the Vanderbilt Center for Immunobiology, directed by Dr. Rathmell, along with his calendar and other events for the Center and lab.

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Heather Durai

she/her

Senior Research Specialist

As a lab manager with 20 years technical and research administration experience at VUMC, I help to ensure the smooth operation of the lab and support the overall success of our lab members.

Zachary Bacigalupa, Ph.D.

he/him

Research Assistant Professor

Managing Director of Functional Genomics Core

My primary focus is aiming to understand the crosstalk that occurs between metabolism and epigenetic modifications in HIF-driven kidney cancers that are genetically unique. To support this, I have developed Cas9 editing constructs that are responsive to active HIF signaling and am screening a library of genes encoding epigenetic modifiers, as well as several major metabolic pathways.

Notable publication:

HIF-2α expression and metabolic signaling require ACSS2 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Jackie Bader, Ph.D.

she/her

Research Assistant Professor

My research interests are to understand mechanisms that impact macrophage metabolism and how they can be targeted in obesity associated cancer therapies. A greater understanding of the macrophage related mechanism behind the obesity paradox will allow for new therapeutic targets outside of the established T cell targets and create a personalized approach to immunotherapy treatment. Particularly, understanding how obesity and weight loss impact bone marrow progenitors and induce innate memory may uncover biomarkers to predict or enhance patient selection for treatment regimens.

Notable publication:

Obesity induces PD-1 on macrophages to suppress anti-tumour immunity

Katy Beckermann, M.D., Ph.D.

My research interest is identifying metabolic barriers to T cell function and immunotherapy in renal cell carcinoma.

Notable publication:

A Non-apoptotic Function of MCL-1 in Promoting Pluripotency and Modulating Mitochondrial Dynamics in Stem Cells

Xiang Ye, Ph.D.

Bioinformatics, Data analysis, Computational Biology

Notable publication:

MTHFD2 is a metabolic checkpoint controlling effector and regulatory T cell fate and function

Emily Arner, Ph.D.

PostDoc Fellow

I study cancer cell instrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms of epithelial plasticity and metastasis. I aim to understand both how metabolism and immune-cancer cell interactions in the tumor microenvironment influence each step of the metastatic cascade using patient samples and mouse models.

Notable publication:

Metabolic programming and immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment

Michael Davidson, M.D., Ph.D.

PostDoc Fellow

I have a background in mitochondrial bioenergetics, particularly cardiac mitochondria in the context of heart failure. As a post-doc, I aim to study the role of mitochondrial bioenergetics of primary effector T cells under normal and pathologic conditions.

Notable publication:

Extreme Acetylation of the Cardiac Mitochondrial Proteome Does Not Promote Heart Failure

Matthew Stier, M.D., Ph.D. 

he/him

Critical Care Fellow

PostDoc Fellow

My research focuses on the metabolic dynamics of sepsis, particularly how it rewires the immune system towards pathologic levels of immunosuppression. Despite being a leading cause of ICU mortality, sepsis lacks targeted therapies, leaving patients dependent exclusively on supportive care. Using human biospecimens from ICU patients at Vanderbilt in true “bedside-to-bench” fashion, we explore the metabolic pathways and mechanisms that drive immune dysfunction in sepsis, aiming to discover new therapeutic targets. Ongoing work examines how sepsis reshapes CD4 and CD8 T cell metabolism and includes the development of novel methods for measuring metabolic flux in human biospecimens, with the goal of translating these insights into future therapies.

Notable publication:

Androgen signaling restricts glutaminolysis to drive sex-specific Th17 metabolism in allergic airway inflammation

Benjamin Wilander, Ph.D. 

he/him

PostDoc Fellow

I study the the effects of temperature on immune cell function and metabolism in the context of disease and fever development. Conversley, I am also interested in how immune cells harness heat generation as a property of their effector function and how thermal generation impacts immune cell metabolism.

Notable publication:

DRAK2 regulates myosin light chain phosphorylation in T cells

Joseph DeCorte

Graduate Student

I’m interested in designing cancer therapeutics that target interactions between the cancer and the immune system, with particular interest in proximity-inducing molecules like Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs). As a graduate student, I design and evaluate PROTACs that degrade enzymes in glutamine metabolism to increase immune-cell anti-tumor response and nutritionally restrict cancer cells.

Yujie (Christina) Ding

she/her

Graduate Student

My research focuses on the DNA damage and repair response of different CD4+ T-cell subsets in the fever environment. I aim to investigate the role of cellular metabolism in modulating DNA damage and repair and to identify the mechanisms underlying mtDNA escape in response to heat. I am also interested in exploring the functions and metabolism of CD4+ T cell subsets at cooler temperatures.

Notable publication:

Clinical Efficacy of ONC201 in H3K27M-Mutant Diffuse Midline Gliomas Is Driven by Disruption of Integrated Metabolic and Epigenetic Pathways

Emilie Fisher-Gupta

she/her

Graduate Student

I study ways to enhance cellular immunotherapies via altering CD8+ T cell metabolism. Specifically, I study the enzyme glutamine synthetase (GS) and the impacts of inhibition on cell survival and function in the tumor microenvironment.

Emma Hathaway

she/her

Graduate Student

My research aims to improve CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumors. Despite success in hematologic malignancies, clinical efficacy of CAR-T cell therapy against solid tumors remains limited. I am interested in studying how CAR-T cells adapt to and survive in the tumor microenvironment of solid tumors with the goal of identifying novel targets to improve their function and efficacy.

Notable publication:

Immunometabolic Maladaptations to the Tumor Microenvironment

Casey Nichols

Graduate Student

My research focuses on the role of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor in CD4 and CD8 T cell metabolism in sepsis.

Rachael Smith

Graduate Student

My research focuses on understanding how innate immune sensors and fever affect CD4+ T cell function and metabolism with the goal to develop a method to harness these effects for cancer immunotherapy.

Notable publication:

Subset-specific mitochondrial stress and DNA damage shape T cell responses to fever and inflammation

KayLee Steiner

she/her

Graduate Student

I study lipid metabolism in T cells. I aim to understand how mitochondrial fatty acid synthesis supports t cell function and metabolism, and to manipulate lipid metabolic pathways to reduce disease severity

Notable publication:

Mitochondrial Fatty Acid Synthesis and Mecr Regulate CD4+ T Cell Function and Oxidative Metabolism

Spenser Stone

she/her

Graduate Student

Although immune checkpoints have canonically been studied in T cells, I am interested in characterizing them in the context of tumor associated macrophages. Specifically, I am exploring the mechanisms that govern Lag3 expression on macrophages and how this population contributes to mechanisms of resistance in cancer.

Notable publication:

The Chlamydia trachomatis p-aminobenzoate synthase CADD is a manganese-dependent oxygenase that uses its own amino acid residues as substrates

Yasmine Toudji

she/her

Graduate Student

My research focuses on the effect of mild heat stress on different CD4+ T cell subsets and the metabolic and signaling pathways that drive their differential adaptation. My goal is to understand the involvement of the cellular stress response and glutamine metabolism in the enhanced T cell responses at fever-range temperature which may reveal actionable targets for treating inflammatory diseases such as autoimmunity.

Notable publication:

Subset-specific mitochondrial stress and DNA damage shape T cell responses to fever and inflammation

Allie Blount

Research Assistant

I focus mainly on the change in effector function and metabolism of renal cell carcinoma T cells after immune checkpoint blockade in primary human samples, while also coordinating a multidisplinary clinical trial that studies pediatrics with primary immunodeficiency disorders.

Zaid Hatem

Research Assistant

I am interested in understanding the immune cross talk between the tumor microenviornment and the viceral adipose reservoirs in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma (ccRCC) patients. I am also interested in investigating the role of TREM2+ Tumor associated Macrophages In The Tumor Microenvironment of RCC.

Sam Schaefer

he/him

Research Assistant

Functional Genomics Core Assistant

I help run the Functional Genomics Core (CRISPR screens in mouse and human cell lines, healthy donor experiments) while also helping out around the lab with other experiments

Allison Sewell

she/her

Research Assistant

My main project is focused on the metabolic rewiring of CD4 immune cells in sepsis and critical illness. In addition, I support fellow lab members in both administrative and experimental capacities.

Notable publication:

Elevated transferrin receptor impairs T cell metabolism and function in systemic lupus erythematosus

Shreeti Amit

Undergraduate Researcher

My research focuses on how sex differences and fever affect CD4+ Th17 cells in both their function and merabolism. I work primarily with mass spectrometry.

Jeffrey Perera

he/him

Undergraduate Researcher

My research with Emilie Fisher-Gupta focuses on how glutamine synthetase regulates metabolism and function in CD8+ and CD4+ T cell subsets. Using functional genomic approaches, we target glutamine synthetase to uncover its role in T cell-mediated immunity and explore therapeutic strategies to enhance T cell function.