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The Rahat Lab for Immunotherapy

Research in the lab is focused on the interaction of macrophages with other cell types (e.g. cancer cells, tissue epithelial cells, endothelial cells) in the context of the changing tumor/inflammatory microenvironment (e.g. ischemia/hypoxia).

We focus on the mechanisms that allow macrophages to support tumor growth by enhancing angiogenesis and invasion/metastasis, and to support the promotion and maintenance of cancer or chronic inflammatory/autoimmune diseases, particularly through their interaction with the multifunctional protein EMMPRIN/CD147.

We focus on the following areas of research:

•  EMMPRIN/CD147 as a regulator of macrophage interactions with other cell types
•  EMMPRIN/CD147 as a regulator of tumor progression and metastasis
•  Immunotherapy targeting a novel epitope in EMMPRIN/CD147
•  Post-transcriptional control of tumor-macrophage interactions via microRNAs
•  Identifying unique biomarkers profiles that can assist in the evaluation of the dynamic inflammatory and angiogenic status of patients