Arnold H. Zea, PhD

The research focus of this laboratory is to study T cell dysfunction in patients with cancer and tuberculosis. We have discovered certain molecular alterations in T lymphocytes that could in part explain T cell dysfunction in patients with cancer. However, these alterations in T cell signal transduction proteins are not unique to cancer and were found also in patients with leprosy and recently in patients with tuberculosis, indicating that a common mechanism is inducing T cell dysfunction and is present in most of the diseases.

Until now, immune dysfunction in cancer and mycobacterial diseases has primarily been attributed to the loss of DTH responses to multiple tumor antigens or mycobacterial preparations. However, we believe that alterations in T cell signal transduction proteins may play an important role in T cell immune dysfunction and the characterization of these alterations may be used as markers to determine immune dysfunction.

Furthermore, we are interested in studying immunological and molecular mechanisms involved in T cell dysfunction, aiming to prevent or restore an adequate immune response that will benefit the clinical outcome of patients with cancer or tuberculosis. In addition, understanding the mechanism (s) that lead to T cell dysfunction in those patients will allow us to develop new ways of improving the efficacy of the different clinical immunotherapy approaches currently in use.