Physician Profile
Harald von Boehmer, MD, PhD
Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School
Contact Information
Harald von Boehmer, MD, PhDDana-Farber Cancer Institute
44 Binney Street
Smith 736
Boston, MA 02115
Office phone: (617) 632-6880
Fax: (617) 632-6881
E-mail: harald_von_boehmer@dfci.harvard.edu
Preferred contact method: e-mail
Research
The immune system needs to be effective in defending the organism against invading microorganisms and malignant transformation. At the same time, autoimmune reactions against normal constituents of the body must be avoided. T lymphocytes play a crucial role in self-nonself discrimination, and therefore their development, selection, and reactivity are of considerable interest in both basic and translational research.
T lymphocyte development and selection
Our laboratory focuses on the development of T lymphocytes from pluripotent hemopoietic stem cells. The lab has uncovered the major principles of positive and negative lymphocyte selection and discovered the pre-T cell receptor (TCR). We are in the process of elucidating the unique signaling capabilities of this receptor as well as its role in lineage commitment and leukemia. In pre-TCR reporter mice, we have discovered new T lymphocyte precursors. We have also uncovered the mechanisms involved in the intra- and extra-thymic generation of regulatory T cells, and are studying their mechanisms of immunosuppression.
Autoimmune diabetes
We have found that insulin is a crucial antigen in the initiation of type 1 diabetes. Other studies address mechanisms of beta cell death and the role of regulatory T cells in the disease process. Our studies show that regulatory T cells can revert established diabetes.
Cancer
Immune responses to cancer-associated antigens are usually weak, though the reasons for this are largely unknown. We have shown in animal models that growing tumors can effectively escape tumor-specific T cells. In addition, in collaboration with the von Andrian lab at the Center for Blood Research (CBR), we have shown that tumor-specific regulatory T cells can interfere with the lysis of tumors by CD8 T cells. This makes adoptive immunotherapy - the transfer of tumor-specific CD8 T cells after depletion of regulatory T cells - a promising therapeutic strategy.
Recent Awards
- Sherman Fairchild Foundation Research Award, 2004
- NIH Merit Award, 2003
- Honorary Medical Degree, Munich, 2002
- Koerber Prize for European Science, 1997
- Paul Ehrlich Prize, 1993
- Avery-Landsteiner Prize, 1990
- Louis Jeantet Prize, 1990
Biography
Dr. von Boehmer received his MD in 1968 from the University of Munich, Germany, and his PhD in 1974 from Melbourne University, Australia. He has been a permanent member of the Basel Institute of Immunology, Switzerland, professor of immunology in Basel and in Paris, as well as director of INSERM Research Unit 373 in Paris. He joined DFCI in 1999 and conducts basic and translational research in lymphocyte development and disease models of diabetes and cancer.
Select Publications
- Chen ML, Pittet MJ, Gorelik L, Flavell RA, Weissleder R, von Boehmer H, Khazaie K. Regulatory T cells suppress tumor specific CD8 T cell cytotoxicity through TGF-beta signals in vivo. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2005;102:419-24.
- Jaeckel E, von Boehmer H, Manns MP. Antigen-specific FoxP3-transduced T cells can control established type 1 diabetes. Diabetes 2005;54:306-10.
- Kretschmer K, Apostolou I, Hawiger D, Khazaie K, Nussenzweig MC, von Boehmer H. Inducing and expanding regulatory T cells by foreign antigen. Nat Immunol 2005;6:1219-27.
- von Boehmer H. Mechanisms of suppression by suppressor T cells. Nat Immunol 2005;6:338-44.
- von Boehmer H. Unique features of the pre-TCRalpha chain: not just a surrogate. Nat Rev Immunol 2005;5:571-7.
- Apostolou I, von Boehmer H. In vivo instruction of suppressor commitment in naive T cells. J Exp Med 2004;199;1401-8.
- Borowski C, Li X, Aifantis I, Gounari F, von Boehmer H. Pre-TCRalpha and TCRalpha are not interchangeable partners of TCRbeta during T lymphocyte development. J Exp Med 2004;199:607-15.
- Jaeckel E, Lipes M, von Boehmer H. Recessive tolerance to preproinsulin 2 reduces but does not abolish type 1 diabetes. Nat Immunol 2004;5;1028-35.
- Klein L, Khazaie K, von Boehmer H. In vivo dynamics of antigen-specific regulatory T cells not predicted from behavior in vitro. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2003;100:8886-92.
- Sicinska E, Aifantis I, Le Cam L, Swat W, Borowski C, Yu Q, Ferrando AA, Levin SD, Geng Y, von Boehmer H, Sicinski P. Requirement for cyclin D3 in lymphocyte development and T cell leukemias. Cancer Cell 2003;4:451-61.
