Harikesh S. Wong

Harikesh S. Wong

Assistant Professor of Biology; Core Member, Ragon Institute

Harikesh S. Wong studies how intercellular communication controls the immune response in tissues.

857-268-7041

Phone

NE46-856

Office

wonghs@mit.edu

Email

Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard

Location

Education

  • PhD, 2016, University of Toronto
  • BSc, 2010, Biochemistry, McMaster University

Research Summary

Immune cells communicate across multiple scales in time and space, forming intercellular circuits that promote or impede the immune response. We employ distinct quantitative fluorescence microscopy methods, computational modeling, and experimental perturbations to study these circuits and their emergent behaviors within intact tissue environments. Ultimately, we seek to understand how imbalanced immune cell communication — due to genetic or environmental variation — results in detrimental host outcomes, including pathogen dissemination, autoimmunity, and tumorigenesis. Harikesh S. Wong will begin his appointment in early 2022.

Key Publications

  1. A local regulatory T cell feedback circuit maintains immune homeostasis by pruning self-activated T cells. Wong, HS, Park, K, Gola, A, Baptista, AP, Miller, CH, Deep, D, Lou, M, Boyd, LF, Rudensky, AY, Savage, PA et al.. 2021. Cell 184, 3981-3997.e22.
    doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.05.028PMID:34157301
  2. Robust control of the adaptive immune system. Wong, HS, Germain, RN. 2018. Semin Immunol 36, 17-27.
    doi: 10.1016/j.smim.2017.12.009PMID:29290544
  3. T cell subset-selective IL2RA enhancers shape autoimmune diabetes risk. Simeonov, D.R., Wong, H.S., Cortez, J.T., Young, A., Li, Z., Park, K., Umhoefer, J., Indart, A.C., Woo, J.M., Anderson, M.S., Germain, R.N., Marson, A. 2020. bioRxiv.
    doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.07.22.216564

Recent Publications

  1. Non-coding sequence variation reveals fragility within interleukin 2 feedback circuitry and shapes autoimmune disease risk. Simeonov, DR, Park, K, Cortez, JT, Young, A, Li, Z, Nguyen, V, Umhoefer, J, Indart, AC, Woo, JM, Anderson, MS et al.. 2023. bioRxiv , .
    doi: 10.1101/2023.06.17.545426PMID:37503101
  2. Author Correction: Commensal-driven immune zonation of the liver promotes host defence. Gola, A, Dorrington, MG, Speranza, E, Sala, C, Shih, RM, Radtke, AJ, Wong, HS, Baptista, AP, Hernandez, JM, Castellani, G et al.. 2022. Nature 611, E7.
    doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-05462-xPMID:36280745
  3. Mesoscale T cell antigen discrimination emerges from intercellular feedback. Wong, HS, Germain, RN. 2021. Trends Immunol 42, 865-875.
    doi: 10.1016/j.it.2021.08.006PMID:34493455
  4. Author Correction: Commensal-driven immune zonation of the liver promotes host defence. Gola, A, Dorrington, MG, Speranza, E, Sala, C, Shih, RM, Radtke, AJ, Wong, HS, Baptista, AP, Hernandez, JM, Castellani, G et al.. 2021. Nature 597, E1.
    doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03346-0PMID:34373651
  5. A local regulatory T cell feedback circuit maintains immune homeostasis by pruning self-activated T cells. Wong, HS, Park, K, Gola, A, Baptista, AP, Miller, CH, Deep, D, Lou, M, Boyd, LF, Rudensky, AY, Savage, PA et al.. 2021. Cell 184, 3981-3997.e22.
    doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.05.028PMID:34157301
  6. Gut Helicobacter presentation by multiple dendritic cell subsets enables context-specific regulatory T cell generation. Russler-Germain, EV, Yi, J, Young, S, Nutsch, K, Wong, HS, Ai, TL, Chai, JN, Durai, V, Kaplan, DH, Germain, RN et al.. 2021. Elife 10, .
    doi: 10.7554/eLife.54792PMID:33533717
  7. Commensal-driven immune zonation of the liver promotes host defence. Gola, A, Dorrington, MG, Speranza, E, Sala, C, Shih, RM, Radtke, AJ, Wong, HS, Baptista, AP, Hernandez, JM, Castellani, G et al.. 2021. Nature 589, 131-136.
    doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2977-2PMID:33239787
  8. Robust control of the adaptive immune system. Wong, HS, Germain, RN. 2018. Semin Immunol 36, 17-27.
    doi: 10.1016/j.smim.2017.12.009PMID:29290544
  9. Chemokine Signaling Enhances CD36 Responsiveness toward Oxidized Low-Density Lipoproteins and Accelerates Foam Cell Formation. Wong, HS, Jaumouillé, V, Freeman, SA, Doodnauth, SA, Schlam, D, Canton, J, Mukovozov, IM, Saric, A, Grinstein, S, Robinson, LA et al.. 2016. Cell Rep 14, 2859-71.
    doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.02.071PMID:26997267
  10. Erratum: Toll-like receptor ligands sensitize B-cell receptor signalling by reducing actin-dependent spatial confinement of the receptor. Freeman, SA, Jaumouillé, V, Choi, K, Hsu, BE, Wong, HS, Abraham, L, Graves, ML, Coombs, D, Roskelley, CD, Das, R et al.. 2015. Nat Commun 6, 7015.
    doi: 10.1038/ncomms8015PMID:25881569
More Publications
Photo credit: Suparna Sharma