Janko Nikolich-Zugich, MD, PhD

Professor, Immunobiology

Department Head, Immunobiology

Co-Director, Arizona Center on Aging

520-626-6065

nikolich@arizona.edu

Links

Department Profile

NCBI Bibliography

Lab Link

Dr. Nikolich-Zugich is internationally recognized as a leading immunologist and gerontologist. He received his M.D., MSc and Ph.D. in Immunology from Belgrade University. 1987-1990, Research Associate, Scripps Research Institute, laboratory of Dr.M.J. Bevan, FRS, NAS, HHMI. 1990-2001; Assistant and Associate Member/Professor, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, NY and Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences. 2001-2008, Professor and Senior Scientist, OHSU Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute; 2008-present, Bowman Professor and Head, Department of Immunobiology and Co-Director, Arizona Center on Aging, University of Arizona. Chair of the Board and CEO, American Aging Association (2014-2020), Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and of the American Aging Association.

Cancer Focus

My laboratory studies decline in immunity against microbial pathogens during aging, and the potential for immune rejuvenation in the old age. Inasmuch as cancer is dominantly a disease of old age, and inasmuch as longevity is determined in part by resistance to cancer, we are also interested in immune modulation during aging and longevity extension treatments as they apply to cancer. I have had a long interest in T cell effector function and peptide-MHC recognition by T cells in antimicrobial immunity and cancer, having published several studies on experimental cancer therapies.

Research Program Role

Cancer Biology Program

Display Name
Janko Nikolich-Zugich, MD, PhD

Publications

Wong R, Belk JA, Govero J, Uhrlaub JL, Reinartz D, Zhao H, Errico JM, D’Souza L, Ripperger TJ, Nikolich-Žugich J, et al. 2020. Affinity-Restricted Memory B Cells Dominate Recall Responses to Heterologous Flaviviruses. Immunity. 53:1078–1094.e7. doi:10.1016/j.immuni.2020.09.001.

Ripperger TJ, Uhrlaub JL, Watanabe M, Wong R, Castaneda Y, Pizzato HA, Thompson MR, Bradshaw C, Weinkauf CC, Bime C, et al. 2020. Orthogonal SARS-CoV-2 Serological Assays Enable Surveillance of Low-Prevalence Communities and Reveal Durable Humoral Immunity. Immunity. 53:925–933.e4. doi:10.1016/j.immuni.2020.10.004.

Thompson HL, Smithey MJ, Uhrlaub JL, Jeftić I, Jergović M, White SE, Currier N, Lang AM, Okoye A, Park B, et al. 2019. Lymph nodes as barriers to T-cell rejuvenation in aging mice and nonhuman primates. Aging Cell. 18:e12865. doi:10.1111/acel.12865.

Deshpande NR, Uhrlaub JL, Way SS, Nikolich-Žugich J, Kuhns MS. 2018. A disconnect between precursor frequency, expansion potential, and site-specific CD4+ T cell responses in aged mice. PLoS One. 13:e0198354. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0198354.

Smithey MJ, Venturi V, Davenport MP, Buntzman AS, Vincent BG, Frelinger JA, Nikolich-Žugich J. 2018. Lifelong CMV infection improves immune defense in old mice by broadening the mobilized TCR repertoire against third-party infection. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 115:E6817-E6825. doi:10.1073/pnas.1719451115.

Uhrlaub JL, Smithey MJ, Nikolich-Žugich J. 2017. Cutting Edge: The Aging Immune System Reveals the Biological Impact of Direct Antigen Presentation on CD8 T Cell Responses. J Immunol. 199:403–407. doi:10.4049/jimmunol.1700625.

Uhrlaub JL, Pulko V, DeFilippis VR, Broeckel R, Streblow DN, Coleman GD, Park BS, Lindo JF, Vickers I, Anzinger JJ, et al. 2016. Dysregulated TGF-β Production Underlies the Age-Related Vulnerability to Chikungunya Virus. PLoS Pathog. 12:e1005891. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1005891.

Pulko V, Davies JS, Martinez C, Lanteri MC, Busch MP, Diamond MS, Knox K, Bush EC, Sims PA, Sinari S, et al. 2016. Human memory T cells with a naive phenotype accumulate with aging and respond to persistent viruses. Nat Immunol. 17:966–75. doi:10.1038/ni.3483.

Dyall R, Vasović LV, Clynes RA, Nikolić-Zugic J. 1999. Cellular requirements for the monoclonal antibody-mediated eradication of an established solid tumor. Eur J Immunol. 29:30–7. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1521-4141(199901)29:01<30::AID-IMMU30>3.0.CO;2-D.

Dyall R, Bowne WB, Weber LW, LeMaoult J, Szabo P, Moroi Y, Piskun G, Lewis JJ, Houghton AN, Nikolić-Zugic J. 1998. Heteroclitic immunization induces tumor immunity. J Exp Med. 188:1553–61. doi:10.1084/jem.188.9.1553.

Ross HM, Weber LW, Wang S, Piskun G, Dyall R, Song P, Takechi Y, Nikolić-Zugic J, Houghton AN, Lewis JJ. 1997. Priming for T-cell-mediated rejection of established tumors by cutaneous DNA immunization. Clin Cancer Res. 3:2191–6.

Vasović LV, Dyall R, Clynes RA, Ravetch JV, Nikolić-Zugic J. 1997. Synergy between an antibody and CD8+ cells in eliminating an established tumor. Eur J Immunol. 27:374–82. doi:10.1002/eji.1830270206.

Dyall R, Vasović LV, Molano A, Nikolić-Zugic J. 1995. CD4-independent in vivo priming of murine CTL by optimal MHC class I-restricted peptides derived from intracellular pathogens. Int Immunol. 7:1205–12. doi:10.1093/intimm/7.8.1205.

Janko Nikolich-Zugich, MD, PhD

Links

Cancer Focus

Display NameJanko Nikolich-Zugich, MD, PhD

Publications

Display Name
Janko Nikolich-Zugich, MD, PhD