John Iacomini

Associate Professor of Medicine
Transplantation Research Center
Renal Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Children's Hospital
Harvard Medical School
221 Longwood Ave. LM 303
Boston MA 02115
Phone: 617-525-8008
Fax: 617-264-5196
Email: jiacomini@rics.bwh.harvard.edu
Website: Iacomini Lab Page
7 Postdoctoral Fellows, 1 Graduate Student

The focus of the laboratory is to understand the molecular basis of how transplanted organs and tissues are rejected, and to develop methods to prevent transplant rejection by inducing immunological tolerance. We are developing approaches to induce immunological tolerance to allogeneic and xenogeneic tissues and organs by modifying the recipients immune system through genetic modification of autologous bone marrow cells using gene therapy approaches. The laboratory is studying ways to improve genetic modification of bone marrow stem cells using viruses as gene delivery tools, developing methods to allow for long-term stable gene expression in genetically modified cells and their progeny, and determining the mechanism by which genetic engineering of bone marrow leads to the induction of T and B cell tolerance. In addition we are studying the mechanisms that lead to type 1 diabetes. We are attempting to develop gene therapy approaches that could be used to overcome type I diabetes by developing methods to make ß cells, the cells that make insulin, resistant to rejection and autoimmunity when transplanted into diabetic individuals. Lastly, we are examining the fundamental requirements necessary for alloreactive T cell activation. In particular, we are interested in determining which T cell derived signals are necessary to drive antigen presenting cells to become fully activated during the response to alloantigens.

Papers & Publications:

1. Forman, D., Kang, ES., Tian, C., Paez-Cortez, J., Iacomini, J. (2005) Induction of alloreactive cell tolerance in molecular chimeras: a possible role for regulatory T cells. Journal of Immunology.
2. Tian, C., Bagley, J., Forman, D., Iacomini, J. (2005). Inhibition of CD26 peptidase activity significantly improves engraftment of retrovirally transduced hematopoietic progenitors. Gene Therapy. [Epub ahead of print]
3. Johnson, J., Bagley, J., Skaznik-Wikiel, M, Lee, H.J., Adams, G.B., Niikura, Y., Tschudy, K.S., Tilly, J.C., Cortes, M.L., Forkert, R., Spitzer, T., Iacomini, J., Scadden, D.T., Tilly, J.L. (2005). Oocyte generation in adult mammalian ovaries by putative germ cells in bone marrow and peripheral blood. Cell. 122 303-315.
4. Forman, D., Tian, C., Iacomini, J. (2005) Induction of Donor-Specific Tolerance in Sublethally Irradiated Recipients by Gene Therapy, Mol Therapy 12:353-359.
5. Benatuil, L., Kaye, J, Rich, R.F., Fishman, J.A., Green, W.R., and Iacomini, J. (2005). The influence of natural antibody specificity on antigen immunogenicity. European J. Immunol 35(9) 2638-2647.