Mentors

Linda M. Liau, M.D., Ph.D.
Antoni Ribas, M.D.

Research Interests:

I am a tumor immunologist by training, and thus my research interests are devoted to the understanding of anti-tumor T cell immunity. Specifically, my work looks at anti-tumor T cell responses to tumors located within the brain, as well immunotherapies designed to eliminate these lethal tumors. One project that we have completed recently is the creation of a non-invasive, bioluminescent imaging model to track intracranial tumor progression in vivo. The trafficking of T cells into the brain is also not well understood. Thus, other studies are testing whether we can using optical and micro-PET imaging to visualize the trafficking of tumor-specific T cells into brain tumors.

Assistant Professor-In Residence
UCLA Division of Neurosurgery
rprins@mednet.ucla.edu

Craft N, Bruhn KW, Nguyen BD, Prins RM, Liau LM, Collison EA, De A, Kolodney MS, Gambhir SS, and Miller JF. Bioluminescent imaging of melanoma in live mice. J. Invest. Dermatology 2005. In Press.

Linda M. Liau LM, Robert M. Prins RM, Sylvia M. Kiertcher SM, Sylvia K. Odesa SK, Thomas J. Kremen TJ, Adrian J. Giovannone AJ, Dennis J. Chute DJ, Paul S. Mischel PS, Neil A. Martin NA, Donald P. Becker DP, Timothy F. Cloughesy TF, and Michael D. Roth MD. Active Tumor Progression and Local T Lymphocyte Accumulation Dictate Responsiveness to Dendritic Cell Vaccination in Glioblastoma Patients. Under Revision, 2005.

Prins RM, Bruhn KW, Craft N, Lin JW, Ramos C, Sylvia K. Odesa SK, Miller JF and Liau LM. Protective CNS Tumor I mmunity Generated by a Recombinant Listeria Monocytogenes Vector Targeting TRP-2 and Real Time Imaging of Delayed Tumor Progression 2005. Under Revision.

Craft N, Bruhn KW, Nguyen BD, Prins RM, Lin JW, Liau LM and Miller JF. The toll-like receptor 7 agonist imiquimod enhances anti-melanoma immunity as a vaccine adjuvant. 2004. Under Revision.

Prins RM, Incardona F, Lau R, Lee P, Black KL, Claus S, Zhang W and Wheeler CJ. Characterization of defective CD4-CD8- T cells in murine tumors generated independent of antigen specificity. Journal of Immunology 2004;172:1602-1611.

Yang I, Kremen TJ, Giovannone AJ, Paik E, Odesa SK, Prins RM, and Liau LM. Modulation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules and MHC-bound immunogenic peptides by interferon-ÄÀ and interferon-Äç treatment of human glioblastomas. J. Neurosurg. 2004;100:310-319.

Graf MR, Prins RM, Poulsen GA and Merchant RE. Contrasting effects of interleukin-2 secretion by rat glioma cells contingent upon anatomical location: accelerated tumorigenesis in the central nervous system and complete rejection in the periphery. Journal of Neuroimmunology 2003;140(1-2):49-60.

Prins RM, Graf MR, Merchant RE, Black KL and Wheeler CJ. Deficits in Thymic Function and Output of Recent Thymic Emigrant T cells during Intracranial Glioma Progression. Journal of Neuro-Oncology 2003;64:45-54.

Prins RM, Odesa SK and Liau LM. Immunotherapeutic targeting of shared melanoma-associated antigens in a murine glioma model. Cancer Research 2003;63:8487-91. Graf MR, Prins RM, Hawkins WT and Merchant RE. Irradiated tumor cell vaccine for treatment of an established glioma I: Successful treatment with combined radiotherapy and cellular vaccination. Cancer Immunology Immunotherapy 2002;51(4):179-89.

Prins RM, Graf MR and Merchant RE. Irradiated tumor cell vaccine for treatment of an established glioma II: Expansion of myeloid suppressor cells that promote tumor progression. Cancer Immunology Immunotherapy 2002;51(4):190-9.

Graf MR, Prins RM and Merchant RE. Neutrophil destruction of a rat T9 glioma clone genetically modified to secrete Interleukin-6 and the induction of glioma immunity. Journal of Immunology 2001;166:121-129.

Prins RM, Graf MR and Merchant RE. Cytotoxic T cells infiltrating a glioma express an aberrant phenotype that is associated with decreased function and apoptosis. Cancer Immunology Immunotherapy 2001;50: 285-292.

Yu JS, Wheeler CJ, Zeltzer PM, Ying H, Finger DN, Lee PK, Yong WH, Incardona F, Thompson RC, Riedinger MS, Zhang W, Prins RM, and Black KL. Vaccination of Malignant Glioma Patients with Peptide-pulsed Dendritic Cells Elicits Systemic Cytotoxicity and Intracranial T-cell Infiltration. Cancer Research 2001;61:842-847.

Liau LM, Black KL, Prins RM, Sykes S, Duong H and Bronstein JM. Treatment of intracranial gliomas with bone marrow-derived dendritic cells pulsed with tumor antigens. Journal of Neurosurgery 1999;90:1115-1124.