Derry Roopenian, Ph.D.

Professor

Conducts research to understand why the immune system causes autoimmune diseases and to devise methods to predict and treat them.

The Jackson Laboratory Cancer Center

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About Derry Roopenian, Ph.D.

The overall goals of our laboratory are to understand why the immune system causes autoimmune diseases and to devise methods to predict and treat them. We develop and use mouse strains that provide models for human diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and epidermolysis bullosa. We use a combination of genetics, molecular biological and cellular immunological tools to dissect the molecular and cellular processes that cause these diseases. Finally, we study the mechanisms that affect the persistence of antibodies and antibody-based therapeutics. The information gained from all of these approaches is then used to devise possible therapeutic approaches that can be translated to human treatments.

Education and experience

Education

1972
B.A. Zoology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT

1984
Ph.D. Pathobiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

Experience

2000-Present
Professor, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME

2011-Present
Professor, Department of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA

2000-Present
Adjunct Faculty, Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology, University of Maine, Orono, ME

2006-2007
Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Bar Harbor BioTechnology, Inc., Trenton, ME

1990-1999
Associate Professor, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME

1985-1990
Assistant Professor, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME

1985
Research Fellow, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Boston, MA

1984
Research Fellow, Harvard Medical School, Department of Pathology, Boston, MA

1980-1983
Research Assistant, University of Minnesota, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Minneapolis, MN

Selected Publications

Highlighted Abstract

Careful regulation of the body's immunoglobulin G (IgG) and albumin concentrations is necessitated by the importance of their respective functions. As such, the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn), as a single receptor, is capable of regulating both of these molecules and has become an important focus of investigation. In addition to these essential protection functions, FcRn possesses a number of other functions that are equally as critical and are increasingly coming to attention. During the very first stages of life, FcRn mediates the passive transfer of IgG from mother to offspring both before and after birth. In the adult, FcRn regulates the persistence of both IgG and albumin in the serum as well as the movement of IgG, and any bound cargo, between different compartments of the body via transcytosis across polarized cells. FcRn is also expressed by hematopoietic cells; consistent with this, FcRn regulates MHC class II presentation and MHC class I cross-presentation by dendritic cells. As such, FcRn plays an important role in immune surveillance throughout adult life. The increasing appreciation for FcRn in both homeostatic and pathological conditions is generating an intense interest in the potential for therapeutic modulation of FcRn binding to IgG and albumin.

View full list of publications

Research HighlightOctober 03, 2017
Helper cells with heightened self-reactivity identified
The Roopenian lab has identified cell populations that might shed light on origins of autoimmune diseases.
eNewsDecember 13, 2011
MHC Class 1 Proteins: A Drag on Autoimmune Disease Progression in Mice
Studies in mice reveal that MHC class I proteins act as brakes on autoimmune disease progression in mouse models of lups and B cell lymphoma.
eNewsFebruary 18, 2010
Engineered antibodies pack greater punch
Two FcRn-“humanized” mouse models developed by JAX Professor Derry Roopenian facilitate the development of preclinical therapeutic antibodies.
JAX NotesJuly 01, 2009
JAX researcher identifies critical role for IL21 in lupus pathogenesis in mice
A research team lead by JAX Professor Derry Roopenian identified a critical role for interleukin 21 (IL21) in lupus pathogenesis in BXSB/MpJ mice.

eNewsApril 01, 2015
Defects in mitochondrial metabolism uncovered in anx/anx mice, a mouse model of anorexia
Anorexia (anx/anx) mutant mice have mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) pathway and complex I assembly defects, suggesting linkage between dysfunctional mitochondrial metabolism and human eating disorders.
- Model Development
- Behavioral Disorders
eNewsNovember 29, 2011
FcRn-mediated HIV mucosal vaccine works in mice
A prototype FcRn-mediated HIV-1 vaccine is rapidly transported across mucosal cell barriers, and induces robust, long-term HIV-specific immune responses in mice.
Search MagazineSeptember 01, 2009
A Voice for Lupus
Taylor Hancock is raising awareness about lupus and supporting researchers to find a cure.