Derek Barisas
Program: Immunology
Current advisor: Kyunghee Choi, PhD
Undergraduate university: Washington & Lee University
Research summary
In the Choi lab, I study the impact of chronic inflammation caused by disease processes on the hematopoietic stem cell compartment. Numerous pathologic states, from atherosclerosis to diabetes and obesity, induce biasing of hematopoiesis towards the development of pathogenic myeloid cells. The production of these myeloid cells in chronic disease has been shown to accentuate disease and thus forms a positive feedback loop. By studying a mouse model of breast cancer, we hope to identify targets to prevent the preferential development of myeloid cells and reduce disease burden across a variety of inflammatory conditions.
Graduate publications
Lai CW, Bagadia P, Barisas DAG, Jarjour NN, Wong R, Ohara T, Muegge BD, Lu Q, Xiong S, Edelson BT, Murphy KM, Stappenbeck TS. 2022 Mesothelium-Derived Factors Shape GATA6-Positive Large Cavity Macrophages. J Immunol, ():ji2200278.
Jain U, Ver Heul AM, Xiong S, Gregory MH, Demers EG, Kern JT, Lai CW, Muegge BD, Barisas DAG, Leal-Ekman JS, Deepak P, Ciorba MA, Liu TC, Hogan DA, Debbas P, Braun J, McGovern DPB, Underhill DM, Stappenbeck TS. 2021 Debaryomyces is enriched in Crohn’s disease intestinal tissue and impairs healing in mice. Science, 371(6534):1154-1159.