Steven Sloan, M.D., Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Pathology
Harvard Medical School
Medical Director, Pediatric Transfusion Medicine
Children's Hospital Boston
Contact information
Joint Program in Transfusion Medicine & Dept. Laboratory Medicine
Children's Hospital Boston - Blood Bank 406
300 Longwood Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
Phone: 617-355-6268
Education
M.D., Ph.D., 1990, New York University
Research Interests
The goal of my research is to understand intracellular signaling and regulation of transcription in B lymphocytes during immune responses. When cell surface immunoglobulin on a B lymphocyte binds to an antigen, it secretes chemokines that attract cells such as helper T cells. These helper T cells foster the development of the B cells into productive antibody secreting cells.
The MIP-1b chemokine is one of the most important chemokines that is secreted by B cells to attract T cells. We are studying means by which its expression is enhanced in antigen stimulated B cells. The MIP-1b gene is only minimally transcribed in unstimulated B cells and its transcription dramatically increases shortly after the B cells are stimulated. The mechanism by which this transcription increases is not currently known but recent experiments indicate that at least one transcription factor binds upstream of the MIP-1b gene. We are currently performing experiments to identify that factor and elucidate mechanisms by which that factor is activated in antigen stimulated B cells.