Natalie Johnson

Program: Cancer Biology

Current advisor: Carl DeSelm, MD, PhD

Undergraduate university: Oregon State University, 2022

Enrollment year: 2024

Research summary
I aim to develop a novel chimeric antigen receptor on dendritic cells for the treatment of MOGAD.

Tolerogenic dendritic cells (tolDCs) promote immune tolerance through antigen presentation, rather than immune activation. I aim to engineer tolDCs with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) that direct them toward specific antigens in Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody-Associated Disease, thereby inducing immune tolerance through the production antigen-specific regulatory T cells (Tregs).

Graduate publications