Dusan Bogunovic, PhD, Professor, Director – Center for Inborn Errors of Immunity
Precision Immunology Institute, Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn Genomics Institute, and Departments of Oncological Sciences, Microbiology and Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, USA
Dusan Bogunovic has been selected as the 2023 ICIS-LUMINEX JOHN R. KETTMAN AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN INTERFERON & CYTOKINE RESEARCH MID-CAREER, in recognition for his seminal discoveries in the field of cytokine biology and his remarkable international reputation as an immunologist and geneticist with a focus on inborn disorders of the immune system, especially concerning the JAK/STAT pathway. Professor Bogunovic be presented with his award at the Cytokines 2023 Opening Session on Sunday, October 15th at the Divani Caravel Hotel in Athen, and will give an invited talk on “Inborn Errors of Autoinflammation” at the meeting.
Professor Bogunovic’s lab discovered and characterized several genetic disorders in the JAK/STAT pathway, demonstrated the causal role of these gene defects to human diseases and identified life-saving therapies for patients with these mutations. Some examples include the discovery of ISG15 deficiency, USP18 deficiency, STAT2 gain-of function, and JAK1 gain-of-function human diseases. These novel disorders all have in common hyperactive JAK/STAT pathway which results in severe dysregulation of the immune system and were reported in leading journals including NEJM, Nature and Cell.
Dr. Bogunovic also has a rich anti-viral research program in his lab. He discovered that a defined set of antiviral genes are sufficient for broad anti-viral resistance and has delineated species specificity, which he reported in Nature Communications. He also shown that an optimal set of antiviral genes can be delivered transiently and restrict infections from multiple viral families, which has led to a patent application.
Very early during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dusan’s lab was the first to explore the mechanisms that lead to Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children (MIS-C) and in a study published in Cell, he showed that MIS-C arises in children that recently recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection and developed auto-antibodies against mucosal tissues.
More recently, Dusan started to explore why individuals with Down Syndrome have enhanced inflammation and is investigating how trisomy 21 contributes to the enhanced expression of iinflammatory genes leading to systemic and chronic inflammatory diseases. In a recent publication in Nature (2023), Dr Bogunovic’s team demonstrated that cytokine dysregulation and activated CD4T cells combined with CD11c+B cells lead to autoimmunity in individuals with Down syndrome. In 2022 in Immunity, Dr. Bogunovic elegantly demonstrated that type I IFN, can be both protective and pathogenic in terms of susceptibility to viral diseases. Dr. Bogunovic was among the first to report the findings that individuals with Down syndrome are more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 mediated severe disease outcomes, which were later confirmed in a number of other studies.
Dusan Bogunovic, Ph.D. is a Professor at the Precision Immunology Institute, Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn Genomics Institute, and Departments of Oncological Sciences, Microbiology and Pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Bogunovic also serves as a Director of the Center for Inborn Errors of Immunity at ISMMS.
The Bogunovic lab focuses on the study of human immunogenetics. We aim to improve understanding of the human immune system by studying:
1) Individuals with rare auto-inflammatory syndromes.
2) Individuals with severe clinical presentations of infectious diseases.
3) Developing broad spectrum antiviral therapeutics.
4) Understanding immune system in Down syndrome.
To dissect these phenotypes and develop therapeutics we use genomic, genetic, molecular biology, cellular biology, immunology and clinical tools.
https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/bogunoviclab/
https://icahn.mssm.edu/research/inborn-errors-of-immunity
Multi-Disciplinary Training Areas
Development Regeneration and Stem Cells [DRS], Microbiology [MIC]
Education
PhD, New York University Medical School
Postdoctoral Fellow, The Rockefeller University
Professor Bogunovic be presented with his award at the Cytokines 2023 Opening Session on Sunday, October 15th at the Divani Caravel Hotel in Athen, and will give an invited talk on “Inborn Errors of Autoinflammation” at the meeting.
This award generously supported by Luminex Corporation recognizes a mid-career investigator who has made outstanding contributions to the field of interferon or cytokine biology. The awardee will receive a $5,000 cash prize that covers meeting registration, and where applicable travel support to the ICIS annual meeting for presentation of his or her research in an award lecture. The award is named after Dr. John R (Jack) Kettman, an immunologist who was instrumental in the development of Luminex’s technologies and the Luminex Corporation.
A nominee must be an ICIS member in good standing* who is within 15 years from their terminal degree (Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent). A nominee must be an independent research scientist (PI); postdoctoral fellows are not eligible. Eligibility of the nominee will be checked at time of nomination and before presentation of award.
*This award is intended for a mid-career researcher with a maximum of 15 years post-degree. It is, however, recognized that there may have been family-related, personal, or other circumstances resulting in extended time out of the laboratory. Exceptions to the 15-year limit will be considered based on a description of any special circumstances.
Dr. Kettman received his undergraduate degree in biochemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, and completed his Ph. D. at Oregon State University under the advisory of TE King. He completed his postdoctoral work in immunochemistry with E. Benjamini and immunobiology with RW Dutton. He was a member of the Basel Institute for Immunology 1972-1973 and spent twenty eight years as on the faculty of the Microbiology Department at University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas. He currently serves as a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Immunology, at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas. Jack was a co-founder of Luminex Corporation and former member of Board of Directors (1995) and a partner and member of board of Directors, Radix BioSolutions, Georgetown TX. He is author or co-author of over one hundred publications in reviewed scientific Journals.
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