Ryan Larson

Department: Immunology
Year Entered: 2006
Prior Degrees: BS, St. Michael's College (VT), 2004

Research Synopsis:
Allergic disorders such as atopic dermatitis and asthma have become more prevalent in Western nations; however, very little is known about the immune mediators involved in allergy development. My research focuses on a recently discovered protein, thymic stromal lymphopoieitin (TSLP), and its role in allergic responses. TSLP was initially hypothesized to play a role in allergy development when it was found at elevated levels in the lungs of asthmatics and in the lesional skin of atopic dermatitis patients. Since these initial findings, we and others have shown that TSLP is able to modulate the immune response to favor allergic responses, rather than a response that would be mounted against a virus or bacteria. I am currently attempting to determine which immune cell types are responding to TSLP and mediating the resulting allergic response.

The Molecular Medicine Training Program has allowed me to understand and explore the clinical significance of bench research. Allergy research, and investigating TSLP specifically, has direct clinical relevance, as drugs targeting TSLP or the pathway downstream of TSLP are currently in clinical trials for treating asthma. My studies looking at specific cellular targets of TSLP may aid in developing more targeted allergy therapeutics.

Publications:
Ordinario E.C., Yabuki M., Larson R.P., and Maizels N. Temporal regulation of Ig gene diversification revealed by single-cell imaging. J Immunol., 2009 Sep 11. [Epub ahead of print]

Miazgowicz MM*, Headley MB*, Larson RP*, and Ziegler SF. Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) and the pathophysiology of atopic disease. Expert Reviews in Clinical Immunology 5: 547-556.

*authors contributed equally