Henry Wortis

I earned my MD at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and went on to a medical residency at NYU Bellevue and a rheumatology fellowship at Stanford. I turned to full time research as a post-doctoral fellow at the National Institute for Medical Research in London. There I developed a technique for identifying individual IgG producing cells, the role of T cells in inducing antibody isotype switching and the cellular basis for T cell deficiency in nude mice. During that period I received mentoring from Sir Peter Medawar, Avrion Mitchison and Len & Lee Herzenberg. When I established my own laboratory I began studies of B cell development and the functional defects in mice with mutations of Bruton's tyrosine kinase and CD22, resulting in immune-deficiency on the one hand and auto-reactivity on the other. I was particularly interested in the development and function of B-1 cells. For a period I turned my attention to a completely new area, the analysis of age-associated loss of resistance to infection. I have pioneered in the use of a genetic approach to analyze this problem. I have developed an interest in vaccine development and isotype-switching and received two Tufts pilot awards that started me on this work. My long-term interest in B-1 cells and their unique role in producing natural protective IgM antibodies combined with my vaccine work led me to initiate a project to produce a vaccine that protects against atherosclerosis. Having relinquished my directorship of the Immunology Graduate Program and other administrative responsibilities I am ready to focus on research again.