My research focuses on the interactions between cancer and the immune system.  Alcohol/tobacco use and human papilloma virus (HPV) infection are risk factors for developing Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC).  Patients with HPV-driven cancer often have better prognoses.  We use sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, flow cytometry, and multiplex Luminex assays to assess immune bias in the tumor, draining lymph nodes, and the circulation.  Immune fitness, exhaustion, B cell activation, and small extracellular vesicles are some of parameters we track in these patients.

Some areas of focus within the lab include; 1) discordant clinical responses between the primary tumor and involved lymph nodes, 2) small extracellular vesicles and their role in modulating immune bias and exhaustion, and 3) HPV gene expression drives positive clinical responses to immunotherapy.