Tyler Curiel, MD, MPH

Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Texas Health Science Center
San Antonio, TX

2011 Gender Matters

With LRI funding, Dr. Curiel will explore an intriguing and ambitious hypothesis as to why lupus primarily affects females.

The veteran immunologist and oncologist already has laboratory and animal data to indicate that a pathway called “B7-H1” can lead to failure of critical immune system cells—regulatory T cells (Tregs)—in female but not male mice.

By assessing how “B7-H1” protects the function of Tregs in mice and then in people, he may well uncover, for the first time, a significant mechanism at play in rendering females more likely to develop lupus and other autoimmune illnesses such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. If correct, potential therapies could follow close behind.

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