Immunology Graduate Group
Philip L. Cohen, M.D.
Professor, Department of Medicine
Address: 757 BRB II/III, 421 Curie Blvd
Office Phone: (215) 573-2956
Lab Phone: (215) 573-2947
Fax: (215) 573-7599
Email: philipco@mail.med.upenn.edu
Education:
M.D., Yale University School of Medicine
B.S., City College of New York
Research Interests
Autoimmunity, Apoptosis
Research Summary
We are interested in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus and related autoimmune diseases. A longstanding problem has been to understand how T cells contribute to the illness and we continue to investigate the specificity and function of T cells in animal models of SLE. The role of apoptosis in eliminating autoreactive cells and in providing potential immunogenic stimuli for autoimmunity is also a major direction. Mice with deficient mer tyrosine kinase, which is an important receptor for recognition and phagocytosis of apoptotic cells, are under study as a way of understanding how self antigens are processed and presented in autoimmunity.
Recent Publications:
Cohen PL, Caricchio R, Abraham V, Camenisch TD, Jennette JC, Roubey RA, Earp HS, Matsushima G, and Reap EA. Delayed apoptotic cell clearance and lupus-like autoimmunity in mice lacking the c-mer membrane tyrosine kinase. J Exp Med. 196:135-40, 2002.
Suh C, Freed JH, and Cohen PL. T-cell reactivity to MHC class II-bound self peptides in SLE-prone MRL/lpr mice . J Immunol 170:2229-35, 2003
Behrens EM, Gadue P, Gong S, Garrett S, Stein PL, and Cohen PL. The mer receptor tyrosine kinase: Expression and function suggest a role in innate immunity. Eur J. Immunol 33:2160-7, 2003.