The Khor lab is interested in understanding novel pathways that regulate tolerance and inflammation, with the goal of developing novel precision therapies. A major focus of the lab is understanding the mechanistic basis of immune dysregulation in people with Down syndrome.
This work is revealing new fundamental lessons about the pathoimmunology of aging and autoimmunity in people both with and without Down syndrome. Our work is already pointing to new targets for precision therapies and highlighting novel approaches to identify unifying themes across different diseases.
We take a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach that brings together genetics, chemistry, computational, and clinical collaborators to highlight disease-relevant biology. Work in the lab is grounded on observation in human cohorts, which is then mechanistically interrogated using ex vivo, in vitro and animal model approaches. The Khor lab is a high-mentoring environment where trainees take creative, rigorous, and multidisciplinary approaches to clinically relevant problems.
Bernard Khor, MD, PhD
Lab Members
Amber Leonard, PhD
Research Projects
Aging and Down syndrome: The immune system and beyond
Dissecting the mechanisms driving autoimmunity in people with Down syndrome
Understanding how DYRK1A regulates T cell biology
Featured Publications
Down syndrome: insights into autoimmune mechanisms.
Nat Rev Rheumatol
FRTX-02, a selective and potent inhibitor of DYRK1A, modulates inflammatory pathways in mouse models of psoriasis and atopic dermatitis.
J Transl Autoimmun
Deep immune phenotyping reveals similarities between aging, Down syndrome, and autoimmunity.
Sci Transl Med
Tonic interferon restricts pathogenic IL-17-driven inflammatory disease via balancing the microbiome.
Elife
The Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 8 (CDK8) Inhibitor DCA Promotes a Tolerogenic Chemical Immunophenotype in CD4+ T Cells via a Novel CDK8-GATA3-FOXP3 Pathway.
Mol Cell Biol
Participants like Ayman Make Research Possible
Ayman, 23, enjoys playing the drums and working at MOD Pizza — he was even in one of MOD’s TV commercials. He loves Pepper, his schnoodle (schnauzer-poodle).
$3.5 Million to Study Down Syndrome and the Immune System
What goes wrong in the immune system that causes autoimmune disease or limits its ability to fight infections? That’s the question Bernard Khor, MD, PhD, started with 12 years ago. His search for answers led him somewhere unexpected: to people with Down syndrome.
Research Fuels Change: One Family’s Motivation to Participate
Becky Ronan has seen firsthand how research has impacted life for people with Down syndrome. When her older brother Kevin was born with Down syndrome in 1967, her parents were advised not to bring him home. “Most people with Down syndrome were put in institutions,” Becky says.
Benaroya Research Institute Receives $9 Million in Funding, With a Focus on Down Syndrome Research
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Science in Seattle: BRI Awarded $3.4M NIH R01 Grant to Continue Studying Why Immune Responses are Altered in Those with Down Syndrome
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