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

Recent Publications

  1. What cannot be seen correctly in 2D visualizations of single-cell 'omics data? Wang, S, Sontag, ED, Lauffenburger, DA. 2023. Cell Syst 14, 723-731.
    doi: 10.1016/j.cels.2023.07.002PMID:37734322
  2. Biphasic JNK-Erk signaling separates the induction and maintenance of cell senescence after DNA damage induced by topoisomerase II inhibition. Netterfield, TS, Ostheimer, GJ, Tentner, AR, Joughin, BA, Dakoyannis, AM, Sharma, CD, Sorger, PK, Janes, KA, Lauffenburger, DA, Yaffe, MB et al.. 2023. Cell Syst 14, 582-604.e10.
    doi: 10.1016/j.cels.2023.06.005PMID:37473730
  3. ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccine-induced Fc receptor binding tracks with differential susceptibility to COVID-19. Kaplonek, P, Cizmeci, D, Kwatra, G, Izu, A, Lee, JS, Bertera, HL, Fischinger, S, Mann, C, Amanat, F, Wang, W et al.. 2023. Nat Immunol 24, 1161-1172.
    doi: 10.1038/s41590-023-01513-1PMID:37322179
  4. Airway T cells are a correlate of i.v. Bacille Calmette-Guerin-mediated protection against tuberculosis in rhesus macaques. Darrah, PA, Zeppa, JJ, Wang, C, Irvine, EB, Bucsan, AN, Rodgers, MA, Pokkali, S, Hackney, JA, Kamath, M, White, AG et al.. 2023. Cell Host Microbe 31, 962-977.e8.
    doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2023.05.006PMID:37267955
  5. Host genetic background is a barrier to broadly effective vaccine-mediated protection against tuberculosis. Lai, R, Gong, DN, Williams, T, Ogunsola, AF, Cavallo, K, Lindestam Arlehamn, CS, Acolatse, S, Beamer, GL, Ferris, MT, Sassetti, CM et al.. 2023. J Clin Invest 133, .
    doi: 10.1172/JCI167762PMID:37200108
  6. Hybrid immunity expands the functional humoral footprint of both mRNA and vector-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Kaplonek, P, Deng, Y, Shih-Lu Lee, J, Zar, HJ, Zavadska, D, Johnson, M, Lauffenburger, DA, Goldblatt, D, Alter, G. 2023. Cell Rep Med 4, 101048.
    doi: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.101048PMID:37182520
  7. Neurologic sequelae of COVID-19 are determined by immunologic imprinting from previous coronaviruses. Spatola, M, Nziza, N, Jung, W, Deng, Y, Yuan, D, Dinoto, A, Bozzetti, S, Chiodega, V, Ferrari, S, Lauffenburger, DA et al.. 2023. Brain , .
    doi: 10.1093/brain/awad155PMID:37161609
  8. Differences in HPV-specific antibody Fc-effector functions following Gardasil® and Cervarix® vaccination. Roy, V, Jung, W, Linde, C, Coates, E, Ledgerwood, J, Costner, P, Yamshchikov, G, Streeck, H, Juelg, B, Lauffenburger, DA et al.. 2023. NPJ Vaccines 8, 39.
    doi: 10.1038/s41541-023-00628-8PMID:36922512
  9. Effect of host factors and COVID-19 infection on the humoral immune repertoire in treated HIV. Schnittman, SR, Jung, W, Fitch, KV, Zanni, MV, McCallum, S, Lee, JS, Shin, S, Davis, BJ, Fulda, ES, Diggs, MR et al.. 2023. JCI Insight 8, .
    doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.166848PMID:36805331
  10. Author Correction: Screening for CD19-specific chimaeric antigen receptors with enhanced signalling via a barcoded library of intracellular domains. Gordon, KS, Kyung, T, Perez, CR, Holec, PV, Ramos, A, Zhang, AQ, Agarwal, Y, Liu, Y, Koch, CE, Starchenko, A et al.. 2023. Nat Biomed Eng 7, 599-602.
    doi: 10.1038/s41551-023-01006-4PMID:36737667
More Publications
Photo credit: Kathy Wittman