The Blaho Lab participates in two programs at SBP:  the Immunity and Pathogenesis Program in the Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases Center and the Aging, Cancer, and Immuno-oncology Program in the NCI-designated Cancer Center of Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute.

 

Our goal is to understand how the immune system is shaped by a family of bioactive lipids, the lysophospholipids, particularly sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P). We are interested in all aspects of S1P signaling, including the S1P GPCRs, the chaperone molecules that carry S1P (ApoM-HDL and albumin), and the metabolism of S1P itself. We explore these pathways using a combination of animal models, in vitro systems, pharmacology, biochemical analyses, and single cell technologies.

 

There are currently two wide-ranging projects:  

1) How S1P affects the response to radiation and genotoxic stress, especially by bone marrow stem/progenitor cells and the endothelium, and

2) How ApoM-S1P and S1P receptor signaling impact the generation of immunity. This includes studies using models of autoimmune disease, inflammation, and radiation exposure.