The Unutmaz Lab
The Unutmaz Lab investigates the biology of the human immune system.
Principal Investigator
Location
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Our research focus
Our research primarily focuses on decoding the differentiation, activation and regulation of human T cells for optimal immune responses to infectious diseases and their perturbations during chronic diseases or aging. We have contributed to the understanding of how T cell subsets are disrupted during human diseases, especially during HIV infection. Our lab has made several seminal discoveries about the diversity and mechanisms of immune suppression mediated by regulatory T cells and effector functions of human Th17 cell subsets.
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Blog PostApril 03, 20245 Things: Diseases that are understudied and/or Stigmatized
Examining five diseases and conditions that are underfunded, understudied, and/or wrongly stigmatized that JAX is working to better understand. -
Research HighlightFebruary 08, 2023Identifying the functional mechanisms of ME/CFS
Derya Unutmaz and Julia Oh are helping to remove the obstacles for diagnosing Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). -
Research HighlightJuly 28, 2020Novel antibody tests reveal complexity of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2
JAX Professor Derya Unutmaz, M.D., led an effort to develop an assay that determines how well anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies are able to neutralize binding with ACE-2, the human receptor for the coronavirus. -
Search MagazineMarch 05, 2019Perspective: Life on the front line of ME/CFS research
We interviewed Courtney Gunter, program manager for the JAX ME/CFS research center, to get her perspective on this mysterious disease and the ME/CFS community.
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Press ReleaseDecember 19, 2023JAX's 2023 achievements
JAX is celebrating important research breakthroughs, new faculty and leadership appointments, and crucial advancements in legislation. -
Research HighlightNovember 10, 2022Arming the immune system against SARS-Cov-2
Derya Unutmaz and his team have capitalized on cancer immunotherapy techniques to develop potential variant-proof treatments for COVID-19. -
Research HighlightMay 15, 2020A needle in a haystack: Finding how a genetic variant increases the risk of autoimmune diseases
More than 98% of the genome doesn’t code for proteins, but recent findings show that many non-coding sequences play important roles in health and disease. -
Search MagazineFebruary 26, 2019Solving the mystery of chronic fatigue syndrome
A collaborative JAX research center led by Derya Unutmaz is diving deep into the biology of ME/CFS patients to find a root cause of the disease, which may lie in their own immune systems.