Dr. Theresa L. Whiteside is the Director of the Immunologic Monitoring and Cellular Products Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. In addition, Dr. Whiteside is a Professor of Pathology, Otolaryngology and Immunology at the university. Prior to arriving at the university, she attended Columbia University where she received a B.S. in Botany, a M.A. in Biology, and completed her education with a Ph.D. in microbiology in 1967. Currently, Dr. Whiteside is actively involved in research efforts focusing on Cancer Therapy, Cellular Therapy, Cell Culture, and Immunoassays.
Recently, Dr. Whiteside has been featured in several publications for studies done within her laboratory on immunobiology and immunotherapy of human cancer, specifically, of oral carcinoma. As a part of a broadly-designed research program in human head and neck cancer (HNC), Dr. Whiteside's research team is studying immune markers (mainly those present on T, NK and DC) to evaluate their prognostic significance. As part of the study, the role of immune effector cells and their subsets in tumor progression is evaluated. Researchers study ex vivo immunogenicity of tumor-derived epitopes presented on DC to immune cells and attempt to define the usefulness of these epitopes for vaccines. The program also incorporates the development of methods for quantitation of the frequency of vaccine-specific or tumor-specific T lymphocytes.
One of the unique aspects of the program is the expertise researchers have developed in the evaluation of factors that contribute to poor immune responses and apoptosis of immune cells at the tumor site as well as in the peripheral circulation of patients with cancer. Signaling molecules associated with TcR in T cells and FcgRIII in NK cells, such as the z chain, are being studied as possible biomarkers of decreased lymphocyte function in cancer. Multicolor flow cytometry incorporating markers of apoptosis is being adapted to measure the proportions of T cells undergoing apoptosis at the tumor site and in the circulation of patients with cancer before and after immunotherapy. The mechanisms responsible for lymphocyte apoptosis, including the contribution of the TNF family of receptors and ligands to apoptosis of selected lymphocyte subsets in these patients are also being assessed. Effects of cytokines on T-cell apoptosis is evaluated, and cytokines best able to decrease or prevent spontaneous apoptosis of effector cells are especially targeted. Finally, expression and function of apoptosis inhibitory molecules such as FLIP and FAP-1 in tumor cells are evaluated in order to be able to decrease and eventually to abolish resistance of tumor cells to apoptosis mediated by immune cells or other apoptosis-inducing therapies. The major emphasis has been on the generation of effective cellular immune responses in patients with cancer and on protection of immune cells from tumor-induced death by the use of exogenous cytokines and other immunomodulatory agents. At the same time, Dr. Whiteisde and her research personnel are purifying and characterizing immunogenic epitopes from human SCCHN in hope of using them as components of anti-tumor vaccines in the future.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Dr. Theresa L. Whiteside
Phone: (412) 624-0096
Email: whiteside1@upmc.edu