“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.

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.

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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