Our Research
S. Alice Long, PhD
Title:
Research Assistant Member
Email Address:
Phone Number:
(206) 287-1034
Background
Dr. Alice Long received her BS degree in Biology from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn., and earned her PhD in Immunology from Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. She then pursued post-doctoral studies at the University of California at Davis before joining a Seattle-based biotechnology company, Xcyte Therapies. In 2005, she joined BRI as a staff scientist in the laboratory of Dr. Buckner and in 2011 became a Research Assistant Member and Manager of the Human Immunophenotyping Core at BRI.
Areas of Research
Dr. Long’s research is focused on discovering how the adaptive immune system is dysregulated in human autoimmunity. Specifically, her research focuses on better understanding the role of cytokines and T cells in autoimmune pathology. She is using three complementary approaches to address questions in this field. She is investigating the mechanisms involved in impaired IL-2R signaling in T1D through basic immunology studies, the contribution of genetic susceptibility in the IL-2R signaling pathway to autoimmunity through genotype/phenotype studies and the impact of immune-modulatory therapies on human autoimmune diseases as Manager of the Human Immunophenotyping Core (HIP-c) at BRI.
Selected Publications
Long SA, Rieck M, Sanda S, Bollyky JB, Samuels PL, Goland R, Ahmann A, Rabinovitch A, Aggarwal S, Phippard D, Turka LA, Ehlers MR, Bianchine PJ, Boyle KD, Adah SA, Bluestone JA, Buckner JH, Greenbaum CJ; Diabetes TrialNet and the Immune Tolerance Network. Rapamycin/IL-2 combination therapy in patients with type 1 diabetes augments Tregs yet transiently impairs β-cell function. Diabetes. 2012 Sep;61(9):2340-8
Long, SA, Rieck, M, Tatum, M, Bollyky, P, Wu, R, Muller I, Ho, J, Shilling, H and Buckner J. Low dose antigen promotes induction of FOXP3 in human CD4+ T cells. J. Immunol. 2011. In press.
Long, SA, Cerosaletti, K, Ho, J, Jia-Yin, W, Tatum, M, Wei, S, Shilling, H and Buckner, J. An autoimmune-associated variant in PTPN2 reveals an impairment of IL-2R signaling in CD4+ T cells. Genes and Immunity 2010 Dec.23.
Long SA, Cerosaletti K, Bollyky PL, Tatum M, Shilling H, Zhang S, Zhang Z-Y, Pihoker C, Sanda S, Greenbaum C, Buckner JH. Defects in IL-2R signaling contribute to diminished maintenance of FOXP3 expression in CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells of T1D subjects. Diabetes. 2010 59(2):407-415.
Long SA, Walker MR, Rieck M, James E, Kwok WW, Sanda S, Pihoker C, Greenbaum C, Nepom GT, Buckner JH. Functional islet-specific Treg can be generated from CD4+CD25? T cells of healthy and type 1 diabetic subjects. Eur J Immunol. 2009 Feb;39(2):612-20.
Long SA, and Buckner, J. Combination of rapamycin and IL-2 increases de novo induction of human CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ T cells. J. Autoimmunity; 2008. 30(4):293-302.