Negrin Lab

Lab Goals

Research projects in our laboratory are aimed at studying the biology of cell populations capable of inducing or suppressing graft vs host disease as well as cells capable of promoting a graft vs tumor effect. In particular we are studying:

  1. The clinical utility of expanded cytotoxic cells for immunotherapy. We have developed animal models utilizing mice with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) which will accept human tumor cells or murine model systems of syngeneic and allogeneic transplantation. In some instances the tumor cells are transfected with the bioluminescent marker luciferase so that the tumor cell growth can be quantitatively tracked in living animals. Using this model system we are studying the clinical efficacy of the expanded cytotoxic cells.
  2. The interaction between the cytotoxic effector cells and a variety of tumor cell targets is under study. The role of granzyme/perforin and fas mediated pathways as well as the cell surface molecule NKG2D in cytotoxicity is under study.
  3. The biological impact of phenotypically defined populations of regulatory T cells on graft vs host disease and graft vs tumor reactions.
  4. Bioluminescent techniques to study these complex biological processes by either labelling the tumor or effector cell populations with the light emitting luciferase gene such that small numbers of cells can be tracked non-invasively, sensively and quantitatively.
Robert Negrin
Division Chief, Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Stanford University (2000 - 2020) Medical Director, Clinical Bone Marrow Transplantation Laboratory (1990 - 2011)
(650) 723-0822
negrs@stanford.edu

Bio

Robert S. Negrin, MD is a Professor of Medicine and former Chief of the Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation at Stanford University from 2000-2020. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley and MD from Harvard University. He trained in medicine and hematology at Stanford University and joined the faculty in 1990. His research work has focused on cellular immunology in particular developing a more fundamental understanding of complex biological reactions such as graft versus host and graft vs tumor reactions in animal models and in the clinic. He has authored over 265 original papers, 40 book chapters and a book. He has received a number of awards including the Doris Duke Distinguished Clinical Scientist Award and is a member of the Association of American Physicians. He was previously the President of the International Society of Cellular Therapy and the American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation. He served as an Associate Editor of the journal Blood and is the founding editor of Blood Advances. He is the Vice President of the American Society of Hematology with successive terms of President Elect in 2025 and President in 2026.