Douglas Lauffenburger

Douglas Lauffenburger

Ford Professor of Biological Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Biology

Douglas Lauffenburger fosters the interface of bioengineering, quantitative cell biology, and systems biology to determine fundamental aspects of cell dysregulation — identifying and testing new therapeutic ideas.

617-252-1629

Phone

16-429

Office

lauffen@mit.edu

Email

Lab Website
Lindsay King

Assistant

617-253-0805

Assistant Phone

Education

  • PhD, 1979, University of Minnesota
  • BS, 1975, Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Research Summary

The Lauffenburger laboratory emphasizes integration of experimental and mathematical/computational analysis approaches, toward development and validation of predictive models for physiologically-relevant behavior in terms of underlying molecular and molecular network properties. Our work has been recognized as providing contributions fostering the interface of bioengineering, quantitative cell biology, and systems biology. Our main focus has been on fundamental aspects of cell dysregulation, complemented by translational efforts in identifying and testing new therapeutic ideas. Applications addressed have chiefly resided in various types of cancer (including breast, colon, lung, and pancreatic cancers along with leukemias and lymphomas), inflammatory pathologies (such as endometriosis, Crohn's disease, colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer's disease), and the immune system (mainly for vaccines against pathogens such as HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis). We have increasingly emphasized complex tissue contexts, including mouse models, human subjects, and tissue-engineered micro-physiological systems platforms in association with outstanding collaborators. From our laboratory have come more than 100 doctoral and postdoctoral trainees. Many hold faculty positions at academic institutions in the USA, Canada, and Europe; others have gone on to research positions in biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies; and others yet have moved into policy and government agency careers.

Awards

  • Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education, National Academy of Engineering, 2021
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science, Member, 2019
  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Fellow, 2001
  • John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, Guggenheim Fellowship, 1989

Key Publications

  1. Oncogenic KRAS Regulates Tumor Cell Signaling via Stromal Reciprocation. Tape, CJ, Ling, S, Dimitriadi, M, McMahon, KM, Worboys, JD, Leong, HS, Norrie, IC, Miller, CJ, Poulogiannis, G, Lauffenburger, DA et al.. 2016. Cell 165, 1818.
    doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.05.079PMID:27315484
  2. Reduced Proteolytic Shedding of Receptor Tyrosine Kinases Is a Post-Translational Mechanism of Kinase Inhibitor Resistance. Miller, MA, Oudin, MJ, Sullivan, RJ, Wang, SJ, Meyer, AS, Im, H, Frederick, DT, Tadros, J, Griffith, LG, Lee, H et al.. 2016. Cancer Discov 6, 382-99.
    doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-15-0933PMID:26984351
  3. CD4+ T cell-dependent and CD4+ T cell-independent cytokine-chemokine network changes in the immune responses of HIV-infected individuals. Arnold, KB, Szeto, GL, Alter, G, Irvine, DJ, Lauffenburger, DA. 2015. Sci Signal 8, ra104.
    doi: 10.1126/scisignal.aab0808PMID:26486173
  4. The AXL Receptor is a Sensor of Ligand Spatial Heterogeneity. Meyer, AS, Zweemer, AJ, Lauffenburger, DA. 2015. Cell Syst 1, 25-36.
    doi: 10.1016/j.cels.2015.06.002PMID:26236777
  5. Intratumor heterogeneity alters most effective drugs in designed combinations. Zhao, B, Hemann, MT, Lauffenburger, DA. 2014. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 111, 10773-8.
    doi: 10.1073/pnas.1323934111PMID:25002493

Recent Publications

  1. Synergistic Action of Diclofenac with Endotoxin-Mediated Inflammation Exacerbates Intestinal Injury in Vitro. Chen, WLK, Suter, E, Miyazaki, H, Velazquez, J, Lauffenburger, DA, Griffith, LG, Carrier, RL. 2021. ACS Infect Dis 7, 838-848.
    doi: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00762PMID:33745271
  2. Immunogenicity of the Ad26.COV2.S Vaccine for COVID-19. Stephenson, KE, Le Gars, M, Sadoff, J, de Groot, AM, Heerwegh, D, Truyers, C, Atyeo, C, Loos, C, Chandrashekar, A, McMahan, K et al.. 2021. JAMA 325, 1535-1544.
    doi: 10.1001/jama.2021.3645PMID:33704352
  3. Viral Rebound Kinetics Correlate with Distinct HIV Antibody Features. Bartsch, YC, Loos, C, Rossignol, E, Fajnzylber, JM, Yuan, D, Avihingsanon, A, Ubolyam, S, Jupimai, T, Hirschel, B, Ananworanich, J et al.. 2021. mBio 12, .
    doi: 10.1128/mBio.00170-21PMID:33688003
  4. Humoral signatures of protective and pathological SARS-CoV-2 infection in children. Bartsch, YC, Wang, C, Zohar, T, Fischinger, S, Atyeo, C, Burke, JS, Kang, J, Edlow, AG, Fasano, A, Baden, LR et al.. 2021. Nat Med 27, 454-462.
    doi: 10.1038/s41591-021-01263-3PMID:33589825
  5. Discrete SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers track with functional humoral stability. Bartsch, YC, Fischinger, S, Siddiqui, SM, Chen, Z, Yu, J, Gebre, M, Atyeo, C, Gorman, MJ, Zhu, AL, Kang, J et al.. 2021. Nat Commun 12, 1018.
    doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-21336-8PMID:33589636
  6. Human physiomimetic model integrating microphysiological systems of the gut, liver, and brain for studies of neurodegenerative diseases. Trapecar, M, Wogram, E, Svoboda, D, Communal, C, Omer, A, Lungjangwa, T, Sphabmixay, P, Velazquez, J, Schneider, K, Wright, CW et al.. 2021. Sci Adv 7, .
    doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abd1707PMID:33514545
  7. Publisher Correction: Single-shot Ad26 vaccine protects against SARS-CoV-2 in rhesus macaques. Mercado, NB, Zahn, R, Wegmann, F, Loos, C, Chandrashekar, A, Yu, J, Liu, J, Peter, L, McMahan, K, Tostanoski, LH et al.. 2021. Nature 590, E25.
    doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-03100-yPMID:33469218
  8. Correlates of protection against SARS-CoV-2 in rhesus macaques. McMahan, K, Yu, J, Mercado, NB, Loos, C, Tostanoski, LH, Chandrashekar, A, Liu, J, Peter, L, Atyeo, C, Zhu, A et al.. 2021. Nature 590, 630-634.
    doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-03041-6PMID:33276369
  9. Compromised Humoral Functional Evolution Tracks with SARS-CoV-2 Mortality. Zohar, T, Loos, C, Fischinger, S, Atyeo, C, Wang, C, Slein, MD, Burke, J, Yu, J, Feldman, J, Hauser, BM et al.. 2020. Cell 183, 1508-1519.e12.
    doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.10.052PMID:33207184
  10. Quick COVID-19 Healers Sustain Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Production. Chen, Y, Zuiani, A, Fischinger, S, Mullur, J, Atyeo, C, Travers, M, Lelis, FJN, Pullen, KM, Martin, H, Tong, P et al.. 2020. Cell 183, 1496-1507.e16.
    doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.10.051PMID:33171099
More Publications
Photo credit: Kathy Wittman