biography
“My dad always wanted to be a weather forecaster. He was fascinated by atmospheric changes and studied books on meteorology. As a boy, he taught me a lot about the forces of nature and instilled in me intense curiosity and a sense of wonder that I think eventually led to my career in science.” – Mitchell Kronenberg, Ph.D.
Dr. Kronenberg started at La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology in 1997 as a Member and the Division
Head of Developmental Immunology. In 2003, Dr. Kronenberg was also
elected to become the Institute's President and Scientific Director and now serves as President and Chief Scientific Officer. At La Jolla Institute, Dr. Kronenberg's research focuses on natural killer T cells (NKT)
and how they grow and regulate other immune cell types.
Dr. Kronenberg received his B.S. in biochemistry from Columbia
University in 1973 and his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the California
Institute of Technology in 1983, he also did his postdoctoral work from
1983 to 1986 there. From 1986 to 1997, Dr. Kronenberg worked as a
professor in the department of Microbiology and Immunology at the
University of California, Los Angeles.
In 2000, Dr. Kronenberg was named a Roy and Robert Kroc Distinguished
Visiting Professor of Immunology and Medicine by the University of
California, Davis. In 2002, he was a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Visiting
Professor at Harvard University.
research focus
Mitchell Kronenberg, Ph.D., and his team study T cells - white blood
cells responsible for recognizing and responding to foreign invaders,
such as microbes. The laboratory focuses on a subset of T cells, that
recognize glycolipids, or combinations of sugar and fat. Their research
seeks to investigate how these T cells, called natural killer T cells
(NKT), survive, grow, and regulate other immune cell types.
NKT cells apparently regulate a variety of immune responses, including
the response to tumors and certain infectious agents. They also assist
in the prevention of autoimmune diseases, such as diabetes (an immune
attack on the pancreas) and multiple sclerosis (an immune attack on the
nerves). The NKT cells respond rapidly and help other cells become
activated. A glycolipid that activates these cells is currently in
clinical trials in Australia, Japan, and Europe for treatment of
metastatic cancer and hepatitis C virus infection.
A second area of research is the development of inflammatory bowel
diseases (IBD) and an immune-mediated disease of the intestine, which
include Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The uncontrolled
response of white blood cells in the intestine leads to chronic
inflammation. Using experimental models they developed, Dr. Kronenberg
and his team are identifying molecules responsible for causing this
poorly regulated immune response in the digestive tract.
selected publications
Detection of microbes by natural killer T cells. Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 2009
NKG2A inhibits invariant NKT cell activation in hepatic injury. J Immunol. 2009
NKT cells prevent chronic joint inflammation after infection with Borrelia burgdorferi. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008
Natural killer T cells exacerbate liver injury in a transforming growth factor beta receptor II dominant-negative mouse model of primary biliary cirrhosis. Hepatology. 2008
Spontaneous colitis occurrence in transgenic mice with altered B7-mediated costimulation. J Immunol. 2008
Activation of invariant NKT cells ameliorates experimental ocular autoimmunity by a mechanism involving innate IFN-γ. production and dampening of the adaptive Th1 and Th17 responses. J Immunol. 2008
Cutting edge: the mechanism of invariant NKT cell responses to viral danger signals. J Immunol. 2008
RAGE, carboxylated glycans and S100A8/A9 play essential roles in colitis-associated carcinogenesis. Carcinogenesis. 2008
Natural sphingomonas glycolipids vary greatly in their ability to activate natural killer T cells. Chemistry & Biology.
2008
Carbohydrate moieties as vaccine candidates: Meeting summary. Vaccine. 2008
Acid test: lipid antigens get into the groove. Immunity. 2008
A crucial role for HVEM and BTLA in preventing intestinal inflammation. J. Exp. Med. 2008
Abrogation of anti-retinal autoimmunity in IL-10 transgenic mice due to reduced T cell priming and inhibition of disease effector mechanisms. J Immunol. 2008
Villous B cells of the small intestine are specialized for invariant NK T cell dependence. J. Immunol. 2008
Cutting edge: Activation by innate cytokines or microbial antigens can cause arrest of natural killer T cell patrolling of liver sinusoids. J. Immunol. 2008
Role of NKT cells in the digestive system, IV. The role of canonical natural killer T cells in mucosal immunity and inflammation. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2008
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