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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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. -
Research HighlightSeptember 13, 2018Distinguishing the helpful from the harmful in the human microbiome
New JAX research offers insight into how our immune cells are able to tell the difference between helpful bacterial strains and potentially inflammatory or pathogenic strains.
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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. -
Research HighlightJuly 30, 2018Immune system 2.0: Can we re-engineer the human immune response?
JAX researchers have demonstrated the ability to target and disrupt specific genes and/or alter their expression levels, which has important implications for both immunology research and clinical treatments.