Immunology and Pathogenesis
Department of Pathology, School of Medicine
Department of Biology, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences
Nilabh Shastri is a pioneer in the area of immune surveillance, exploring the molecular mechanisms behind T-cell activation. This line of research could yield a wide range of clinical applications, including the treatment of autoimmune disorders and the development of vaccines, but it has especially promising implications for cancer immunotherapy.
Shastri’s research is focused on deciphering how our immune system recognizes quickly changing foreign elements to gear up for an effective response. He strives to find innovative ways to identify antigens that uniquely mark certain viruses, microbes, tissues, and diseases—including cancer. Shastri’s recent work has focused on manipulations of the so-called “antigen presentation pathway,” which triggers immune responses by displaying snippets of intracellular proteins on the surface. He is currently working to expand his exploration of the medical implications of his discoveries.
Shastri joined Johns Hopkins University as a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor in 2018 from the University of California, Berkeley.