Alan M. Krensky, M.D.
Academic Appointments
- Emeritus Faculty, Acad Council, Pediatrics
- Member, Bio-X
- Member, Stanford Cancer Institute
Key Documents
Contact Information
- Academic Offices
Personal Information Email Tel (650) 725-6527
Professional Overview
Administrative Appointments
- Associate Dean, Children's Health Initiative (1999 - present)
- Associate Chair, Stanford University School of Medicine - Pediatrics (1999 - present)
- Shelagh Galligan Professor, Stanford University (1995 - present)
- Chief, Division of Immunology and Transplantation Biology - Pedaitrics (1995 - present)
Honors and Awards
- Young Investigator Award, Society for Pediatric Research (1985)
- Young Investigator Award, American Society of Nephrology/American Heart Association (1990)
- Joseph A. Shankman Award, National Kidney Foundation of Massachusetts (1983)
- Young Investigator Award, American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (1985)
- Award for Excellence in Pediatric Research, American Academy of Pediatrics (1993)
- Scholar in Experimental Therapeutics, Burroughs Wellcome Fund (1994-1999)
Professional Education
| B.A.: | University of Pennsylvania, Animal Behavior (1973) |
| M.D.: | University of Pennsylvania, Medicine (1977) |
Graduate & Fellowship Program Affiliations
Scientific Focus
Current Research Interests
Research in this laboratory focuses on using knowledge about the basic mechanisms of T lymphocyte biology in order to design novel immunotherapies for use in infectious diseases, transplantation, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. The techniques of cellular immunology, protein chemistry, and molecular biology are used in the following four projects:
1) Immunosuppressive efects of HLA derived peptides. Synthetic peptides corresponding to linear sequences of HLA molecules inhibit T lymphocyte function both in vitro and in vivo. Current studies in the laboratory focus on the mechanism of action of the peptides in signal transduction and transcriptional regulation and identification and characterization of the receptor(s) for peptide. The effect of these peptides in murine models of transplantation, diabetes mellitus, and graft versus host disease is being investigated.
2) Function and transcriptional regulation of expression of the chemokine RANTES. RANTES is a chemoattractant cytokine (chemokine) and HIV suppressor factor first identified in this laboratory. Ongoing studies involve the characterization of novel transcription factors expressed three to five days after T cell activation which are responsible for regulating the RANTES expression in T lymphocytes.
3) The novel cytolyic molecule granulysin. We identified granulysin as a T cell specific gene using subtractive hybridization. It is expressed in CTL and NK cells and kills microbes and tumor cells. Studies in the laboratory are focused on understanding the mechanism of action of granulysin in inducing apoptosis and its target specificity.
4) Role of chemokine lymphotactin in immunologic tolerance.
Publications
- 15 kDa Granulysin versus GM-CSF for monocytes differentiation: analogies and differences at the transcriptome level. J Transl Med. 2011: 41
- Expression and purification of 15 kDa granulysin utilizing an insect cell secretion system. Protein Expr Purif. 2011; (1): 70-4
- Granulysin delivered by cytotoxic cells damages endoplasmic reticulum and activates caspase-7 in target cells. J Immunol. 2011; (6): 3497-504
- Induction of granulysin and perforin cytolytic mediator expression in 10-week-old infants vaccinated with BCG at birth. Clin Dev Immunol. 2011: 438463
- KLF13 sustains thymic memory-like CD8(+) T cells in BALB/c mice by regulating IL-4-generating invariant natural killer T cells. J Exp Med. 2011; (5): 1093-103
- Monocyte-derived DC maturation strategies and related pathways: a transcriptional view. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2011; (4): 457-66
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