Harvard University · BiologyAutoimmunity and Tolerance Research Unit
Diane J Mathis · Cambridge, Massachusetts
Research Focus
Dr. Diane J Mathis's lab at Harvard Medical School studies the mechanisms of autoimmune diseases, which affect a significant portion of the population. The lab focuses on understanding how certain cells in the thymus, called medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs), help T cells learn to tolerate the body's own antigens, preventing autoimmune reactions. They recently discovered a new type of thymic cell that could play a crucial role in this tolerance process. This research aims to uncover the molecular interactions that help generate these cells and understand their significance in preventing autoimmune diseases.
autoimmune diseasesT cell tolerancethymic epithelial cellsgene expressiontranscription factorsmimetic cellsAirelymphocyte toleranceimmune regulationthymocyte induction
Research Aims
3AIM 01Investigate how Aire and lineage-defining transcription factors influence each other's genomic activities.
AIM 02Examine how modulating Aire binding to chromatin affects the development of thymic mimetic cell subtypes.
AIM 03Map the lineage relationships of thymic mimetic cells.
Skills the Lab Values
PCRcell culturein vivo experimentationgenomic analysisflow cytometryWestern blottinggene editing (CRISPR/Cas)immunohistochemistrymouse modelstranscription factor studies
Output against the department
Publications489top 9% of dept.88th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations69ktop 2% of dept.21st of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.