Inflammation Biology Section
Joshua Farber, M.D.
Chief, Inflammation Biology Section
Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.
Major Areas of Research
- Chemokines and their receptors in human T-cell trafficking and differentiation, autoimmune/inflammatory disease, and cancer.
Program Description
The Section studies the roles of the chemokine system in health and disease. Chemokines and their receptors are proteins important for leukocyte trafficking and are therefore critical in immune responses and inflammation. As 7TM receptors, chemokine receptors are potential drug targets. Recently, members of the Inflammation Biology Section have focused on using the chemokine system to understand the molecular pathways controlling the extravasation of human lymphocytes into inflamed tissue, the differentiation of human CD4+ T cells, and the pathophysiology of type 17 inflammatory disease. We are also interested in using the chemokine system for clinical imaging in cancer and inflammation.
Biography
Education
M.D., Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Farber obtained his M.D. from Johns Hopkins University, where he did additional clinical training in internal medicine and infectious diseases. Dr. Farber’s postdoctoral research training was both at NIH (Laboratory of Biochemistry, NHLBI) and Johns Hopkins (Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics). Dr. Farber joined the NIAID Laboratory of Clinical Investigation in 1993, became a senior investigator in 2000, and moved to the Laboratory of Molecular Immunology at its inception in 2004.
Selected Publications
Singh TP, Zhang HH, Hwang ST, Farber JM. IL-23- and Imiquimod-Induced Models of Experimental Psoriasis in Mice. Curr Protoc Immunol. 2019 Jun;125(1):e71. doi: 10.1002/cpim.71. Epub 2019 Jan 7. PubMed PMID: 30615272.
Lee CH, Zhang HH, Singh SP, Koo L, Kabat J, Tsang H, Singh TP, Farber JM. C/EBPδ drives interactions between human MAIT cells and endothelial cells that are important for extravasation. Elife. 2018 Feb 22;7. doi: 10.7554/eLife.32532. PubMed PMID: 29469805; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5869018.
Weiss ID, Huff LM, Evbuomwan MO, Xu X, Dang HD, Velez DS, Singh SP, Zhang HH, Gardina PJ, Lee JH, Lindenberg L, Myers TG, Paik CH, Schrump DS, Pittaluga S, Choyke PL, Fojo T, Farber JM. Screening of cancer tissue arrays identifies CXCR4 on adrenocortical carcinoma: correlates with expression and quantification on metastases using 64Cu-plerixafor PET. Oncotarget. 2017 Sep 26;8(43):73387-73406. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.19945. eCollection 2017 Sep 26. PubMed PMID: 29088715; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5650270.
Singh TP, Zhang HH, Borek I, Wolf P, Hedrick MN, Singh SP, Kelsall BL, Clausen BE, Farber JM. Monocyte-derived inflammatory Langerhans cells and dermal dendritic cells mediate psoriasis-like inflammation. Nat Commun. 2016 Dec 16;7:13581. doi: 10.1038/ncomms13581. PubMed PMID: 27982014; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5171657.
Singh SP, Foley JF, Zhang HH, Hurt DE, Richards JL, Smith CS, Liao F, Farber JM. Selectivity in the Use of Gi/o Proteins Is Determined by the DRF Motif in CXCR6 and Is Cell-Type Specific. Mol Pharmacol. 2015 Nov;88(5):894-910. doi: 10.1124/mol.115.099960. Epub 2015 Aug 27. PubMed PMID: 26316539; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4613941.
Research Group
Xinping Lu, M.D.
I received my M.D. from Zhengzhou University School of Clinical Medicine, China. My work focuses on understanding the mechanisms whereby the chemokine system regulates immune cells in the development of psoriasis-like dermatitis in mouse models.
Farhat Parween, Ph.D.
I obtained my Ph.D. in immunology from the National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India. Currently, my goal is to understand the role of chemokine receptors in trafficking behavior and effector functions of human CD4+ T cells.
Shahin Shahsavari, B.A.
I graduated from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore with a bachelor’s degree in Biophysics. Currently, I perform data analysis and statistical modelling using data on conventional and non-conventional CD8+ T-cells. I also study a group of transcription factors for their ability to regulate T cell migration.
Satya P. Singh, Ph.D.
I obtained my Ph.D. in life sciences from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. My work focuses on using the chemokine system to understand the genetic mechanisms that drive the differentiation of human Th17 cells. I also perform and provide guidance for our genome-wide studies of human T cell subsets in order to understand the genetic mechanisms regulating T cell trafficking.
Vaughn Youngblood, M.S.
I completed my M.S. degree at Tufts University in Boston. My current project focuses on how epigenetic regulation in T cells can influence chemokine receptor expression and extravasation.
Howard H. Zhang, Ph.D.
I obtained my Ph.D. in immunology from Mississippi State University. In addition to my own studies focusing on exploiting the chemokine system for clinical imaging, I contribute to many of the laboratory's projects, providing support and advice in the areas of cellular immunology and protein chemistry.